Growth projections are essential to pediatric dentists, as well as orthodontists and for the future of your child’s teeth.
The jaws, teeth, and soft tissue profiles of children and teenagers experiences numerous changes as they increase in age.
Those that treat oral health issues in individuals eighteen and younger often use growth projections in order to plan treatments.
The consideration to individual components of a youngster’s facial profile is imperative in achieving structural-based balance, esthetics, and functionality. Hard tissues and soft tissues must be taken into consideration in dental treatments to ensure the long-term success of those treatments.
All dentists – whether treating the young or the old – take into account age-related changes that occur within the jaws and the surrounding soft tissues. It has been determined that craniofacial growth does not stop as an individual enters adulthood.
Changes continue to occur throughout the lifetime. Pediatric dentists perform more growth projections that those that deal with adults, but the aging process continues to affect the craniofacial region – despite age. As a result, growth projections are often used in traditional adult dentistry, too.
Many studies have been performed on human facial growth.
These have concluded that the face does not only increase in size as we age, but it also experiences proportional changes and position adjustment changes.
One such study also established that males are typically larger than females, regardless of age. It also determined that women often experience the largest amount of craniofacial growth when pregnant. Essentially, this study established that craniofacial changes happen frequently throughout life and that, in order to appropriately treat children, growth projections must be performed by pediatric dentists.
Children have many distinct features.
These include a high forehead, prominent cheekbones, short noses, and eyes that are large and wide-set. A lot of these features relate to the fact that the jaw bones are still growing and changes are still occurring within the facial bones. There are certain changes that are known to take place as a child reaches certain stages of growth.
By conducting growth projections, pediatric dentists are able to treat oral health issues based on those changes.
In doing growth projections, facial profile changes such as hard tissue growth, soft tissue growth, gradient of growth, and general function is all considered prior to dental treatment.
Growth projections take several aspects of the face into consideration. These include the forehead, nose bone, maxilla, the mandible, arches, premaxilla, height of the face, as well as the chin. Growth projections may also consider the overall size of the mouth, the teeth, as well as the lips.
By conducting growth projects, the pediatric dentist is able to correct dentofacial malocclusions, make decisions about treatment, determine how long a treatment needs to go, determine the overall type of treatment, and if it is appropriate for the child.