What’s correct is to chew using both sides of the mouth (swapping) and push the lower jaw forward during cutting. Unilateral chewing may result in overgrowth of the chewing side and as a result development of cross-closing on one side. The early contact due to irregularity of teeth during closing the jaws may shift the child’s jaw and result in closing in abnormal position. Since the temporomandibular joint will adapt to this, the anomalies that are not fixed during early development-growth period will become permanent.
“If you start treatment early, the face will adapt to your standards; if you start treatment late, you will have adapt your standards to your face.”
Please watch the videos below for examples of Early Functional Jaw Orthopedic therapy:
Functional Jaw Orthopedic therapy with Planas Track for unilateral closing in a 44-month child after 10 years:
If sucking function not for feeding continues after 3-4 years old, this will result in deepened palate dome, development of narrow upper jaw, and gap between the front teeth. This incorrect or prolonged habit may also cause having infancy swallowing in the childhood period, excessively differentiation of lower and upper incisors by pushing the tongue end between the front teeth which needs to be placed on the upper palate, or opening between the upper – lower incisors. A gap may develop between the upper and lower molars in swallowing modes in which the tongue is pushed backward.
Opened closing of the back part and the front part due to atypical swallowing, upper forward pushing
Hubertus J.M. van der Waes, Paul W. Stöckli: Farbatlanten der Zahnmedizin 17, Kindermedizin, chapter1, page 1
Antonio Patti, Guy Perrier D’Arc: Early orthodontic therapy, symptoms of typical breathing through mouth and posture
It is necessary to breathe through nose for central part of the face and upper jaw to adequately and properly grow and develop. In children who breathe through mouth due to obstruction of airway, the tongue is spread over or pressed against the floor of the mouth because the mouth is often open.
The transverse development of upper jaw and nasal base is not enough, thus the palate dome is narrow and cross-closing may develop to on one side or both sides. The upper lip is often short, and the patient has to use masseters to close the lips. The child must put his head back to breathe more comfortably. But, he extends his neck forward because he is not able to see the horizon. The shoulders are rolled forward and the back is slightly hump.
The size of the airway may be reduced in those who continuously breathe through mouth, in which case sleep disorders such as apnea and snoring may develop. It is necessary to breathe through the nose for a quality sleep in which all the tissues are adequately oxygenated considering that human growth hormone is only released during night time. For this purpose, it may be necessary to work in cooperation with a physiotherapist, speech therapist and otolaryngologist.