Jaw elongation in children
So far, there has been no satisfactory treatment. Dr. Vazquez has the solution and the answer to your questions.
Why does my child have a small jaw?
What facial changes will my child have with a mouth respirator?
What oral changes will the child present?
What changes at the skeletal level?
What psychological changes?
What psychosocial changes?
How are children’s jaw problems treated today?
If the child breathes through the mouth, he or she should be assessed and treated first by an otolaryngologist.
Despite treating the cause of oral respiration, some children persist breathing through the mouth, as they have already acquired the habit.
When the defects are small orthopedic treatments: Frankel’s apparatus, Carriere’s Distalizer, they can perform an occlusion correction, but never in a demonstrable way lengthen the jaw and thus improve respiration.
Until now had to wait to adulthood and perform an orthognathic surgery to solve this problem. But this alternative in the mandible advances of more than 6 mm is unpredictable.
In addition, the child has to undergo tedious orthodontic treatments, withstand the lack of self-esteem and the symptoms derived from his bad breathing.
In short: treatments are long, late and unpredictable.
How can and should they be treated, according to Dr. Antonio Vázquez?
Treatment is to lengthen the mandible by osteogenic mandibular distraction with the IMDO technique.
IMDO consists in, during a small surgical procedure, cutting the bone between the first and second molars, to place a mandibular distractor. From the third day, we begin to lengthen the jaw activating the distractor at a rate of 1 mm daily until reaching the desired length.
The gap created will be transformed into bone.
Three months afterwards, we will withdraw the distractor and in the event that the child would not have chin, we will perform a mentoplasty.
What benefit would my child have if this technique is performed?
- It would solve your problem in months
- Improvement of your facial appearance, which would also improve your self-esteem
- Improvement of oxygenation
- Improvement of your attention
- Improvement of your posture
- Improvement of your snoring problem
- You would avoid orthognathic surgery in a future
- And the most important of all, we would avoid that you suffered sleep apnea in the future, with all the problems that this disease entails.
When is the ideal time to perform this surgery?
This surgery can be performed from the age of 12. If the case is extremely serious, the protocol can be advanced.
What is the postoperative?
Surgery can be performed on an outpatient basis. During the distraction, it has to maintain good hygiene, to eat a soft diet and to avoid physical contact.
Remember, the most important thing is that this treatment is the only one that will guarantee a growth of your son’s jaw in a short space of time, improving not only aesthetics but it will also have the benefits of a good oxygenation of its tissue , postural improvement and self-esteem improvement