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AS CHILDREN GROW OLDER, some parents begin to worry about their child’s thumb sucking or pacifier habits. This is a normal behavior for an infant, but the older a child gets, the more harm it can do to their oral and orthodontic development.

The Pros And Cons Of Pacifiers

Pacifiers have many benefits for infants, including reducing a child’s chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or simply helping them drift off to sleep at night! However, if pacifier use or thumb sucking is prolonged, it can negatively impact your child’s growing teeth and mouth.
Some side effects of prolonged pacifier use and thumbsucking include:

• protrusive upper front teeth,
• tipped back lower front teeth,
• open bite,
• and crossbite.

Psychologists and Orthodontists have found that thumbsucking prior to the eruption of the permanent teeth does not have a long term effect. Psychologically, thumb sucking my have some psychological benefits at a very early age.

There’s More Than One Way To Help Your Child Quit

When is the right time to help your child kick the habit of using a pacifier or sucking their thumb? To allow the body to correct any oral health issues that may have been caused by persistent sucking, the Academy of General Dentistry suggests that an infant quit using a pacifier before the age of 2. If your child enjoys sucking their thumb, it is best to help them stop no later than age 4.

Once permanent incisors start to erupt around age six, finger habits need to stop. Parents can try these tips:

Tips for helping your child quit thumb sucking:

• Praise your child for not sucking her thumb, instead of getting mad when she does.
• Consider rewards when your child abstains for a certain period of time.
• Put a bandage on the thumb to act as a reminder to not suck their thumb.
• Put a smelly sock on the finger hand during sleep. This will encourage your child to put their hand down while they sleep.

Tips to help your baby quit using a pacifier:

• Dip the pacifier in vinegar.
• Pierce or cut the top of the pacifier to decrease the amount of sucking possible.

You may want to have a "Bye Bye Binkie Party!" Make a special party for the binkie and tie it to a special balloon. Let go of the balloon and wave bye bye and the balloon and binkie fly away.

Let’s Visit About Your Questions Or Concerns

If all of these attempts fail, your orthodontist can place a habit appliance during Phase I orthodontic treatment at age 7. Call us at Gorczyca Orthodontics, (925) 757-9000, or find us at clubbraces.com if you have questions about pacifiers or finger habits.

Thanks for being a valued part of our practice family!

Top image by Flickr user David Goehring used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

IN HONOR OF ST. PATRICK'S DAY, the Team at Gorczyca Orthodontics would like to wish you and your family excellent dental health. It is an honor and a privilege for us to treat you and take care of you and your family's orthodontic needs. Thank you for choosing Gorczya Orthodontics.

So as the rains fall softly upon our Northern California hills and fields until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Irish Dental Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
and may your teeth be free of plaque.

Gorczyca Orthodontics, 5201 Deer Valley Road, Suite 1A, Antioch, Caifornia 94531, (925) 757-9000, www.clubbraces.com.

FEELING A BIT TIRED at times during the day is completely normal, even with a good night’s sleep. Some people, however, struggle every night for a restful sleep, especially those with sleep apnea.

Did you know that one in five adults has obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with 80 percent of cases going undiagnosed? This condition can disrupt your sleep and increase your risk of severe health problems.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea occurs when your muscles relax during sleep, allowing soft tissue to collapse and block the airway. This can cause a person to stop breathing hundreds of times per night, immensely disrupting their sleep. Here are some indications of a problem:

• Morning headaches
• Excessive daytime drowsiness
• Irritability
• Impaired mental or emotional functioning
• Insomnia
• Excessive snoring, choking or gasping during sleep
• Awakening with dry mouth or sore throat

We Can Help

Dentists and orthodontists are often the first professionals to become aware of a potential case of OSA and many are specially trained for the treatment of sleep apnea. We are just such a practice!

Our office will refer you to a sleep center for a polysomnogram which is the only diagnostic test for sleep apnea.

Should you be found have a severe sleep apnea problem, this can often be cured by double jaw advancement. Dr. Gorczyca and the team at Gorczyca Orthodontics will work with your sleep center and orthognathic surgeons from Oakland Kaiser, Stanford, or UCSF Maxillofacial Oral Surgery departments to find the sleep apnea cure is right for you.

Oral Appliance Therapy

While the most common treatment for sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, oral appliance therapy that dental professionals provide is the increasingly preferred form of treatment. This is due to the high rejection rate of CPAP therapy and the fact that oral appliances are much more convenient, portable, and easy to care for.

Oral appliance therapy uses a mouth guard-like device to maintain an open, unobstructed airway while you sleep. They are typically as easy to wear as most retainers. There are two ways the oral appliance works to open up your airway:

1. By repositioning your lower jaw, it keeps your throat muscles engaged as you sleep, preventing them from collapsing.
2. Oral appliances can also move your tongue forward, keeping it from falling back and blocking the throat.

Don’t Ignore Sleep Apnea

Never underestimate the power of a good night’s rest! The quality of your sleep is extremely important to your overall health and well-being. Ask us today how you can better your life by treating sleep apnea through oral appliance therapy!

Call us at (925)757-9000 if you need more information about methods to reduce you sleep apnea.

Top image by Flickr user Marcelo Braga used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

PARKING ON THE LINE is off course. A missing tooth creates a similar tooth parking problem. A missing tooth causes your remaining teeth fill the extra space. Teeth drift and lean into the space over time. Slowly your bite collapses.

A Missing Tooth Can Cause Misalignment

Midlines are off when there is a missing tooth. The upper and lower arch midlines no longer match up. The entire bite becomes asymmetrical. Tooth tips (cusps) meet tip to tip causing them to wear down. Tooth wear creates tooth sensitivity.

If you have a missing tooth, get your bite fixed with orthodontic treatment as soon as possible.

Your Orthodontist Can Help

Your orthodontist will either rearrange your remaining teeth or prepare you for future tooth replacement with an implant or a bridge to create a healthy and functional bite.

We Care About Your Smile

This case was treated by Board Certified Orthodontist Dr. Ann Marie Gorczyca, Gorcyzca Orthodontics, Antioch, CA. Call us at (925) 757-9000. To find an orthodontist near you, visit the American Association of Orthodontists at www.mylifemysmile.org.

Don't let a missing tooth make your teeth park on the line. Line up your teeth for a healthy bite.

Top image by Flickr user Stephen Yeargin used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.