Facial Growth & Development

FACIAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT 

The tongue is the driving force of cracio-facial development.

In resting position, the tongue should be lightly suctioned up to the roof of the mouth, applying gentle pressure across the palate to encourage the ideal growth of the jaw. In growing children, breathing through your mouth can change the shape of your face and alter your appearance.

Symptoms of untreated mouth breathing include long, narrow faces and mouths, less defined cheekbones, small lower jaws, and weak chins. In children, mouth breathing has been linked to poor growth and weak academic performance, as well as ADD and ADHD symptoms. Prepubertal children with disturbed nocturnal sleep, instead of presenting with daytime sleepiness, manifest their daytime impairment with hyperactivity.

It is important to understand that if a tongue tie is present, the tongue tie is not causing the altered growth, it is interfering with the tongue mobility. It is the tongue mobility and posture that contributes to the facial growth.

At Back To Your Roots, we help our clients to support the jaw at rest and guide the ideal growth and development of the jaws by establishing the ideal oral rest tongue posture to instil longevity of healthy habits for long term results.

The Causes of Facial Deficiency

When we begin breathing through our mouth, our nasal passage and upper jaw begins to narrow and proper growth is stunted because the tongue doesn’t sit in the palate to act as a natural expander. When the upper jaw changes in shape, the lower jaw grows to compensate and to keep the airway open. This creates a “long” facial profile, a less prominent chin and a smaller mouth overall. This leads to extensive crowding, a smaller airway and a less desirable facial appearance.

The term “adenoid face” has been used to describe the facial characteristics of children with severely enlarged adenoids. The adenoids are located in the throat and are similar to the tonsils. When the adenoids are enlarged, they force children to breathe with an open mouth. This open mouth posture can change their facial appearance. The typical features of an adenoid face include:

  • Long, narrow shape

  • Flattened features

  • Narrow and vaulted palate

  • Elevated nostrils

  • Short upper ip

  • Gummy smile

  • Lower jaw

  • Sleepy and/or droopy eyes

Nose Breather

Nose Breather

Mouth Breather

Mouth Breather

How you breathe as a child can affect the growth and development of your jaw

When we breathe through our nose and the tongue is resting high in the roof of the mouth, it provides the proper stability and support for the jaw. When this support is in place as a child, we will see the jaws grow into this nice wide U shaped arch.

But if that child is mouth breathing and the mouth is continuously open, the facial muscles develop around this abnormal posture, then adapt and function improperly. The tongue rests low in the mouth and doesn’t provide the proper support for growth and development. You will see the jaws develop into a V shaped arch and that high narrow palate. When we have that lower tongue posture we are more likely to see those crossbites occur.

These children develop muscle patterning habits around the inability to breathe through their nose.  Easy things, such as speaking, chewing, swallowing foods and drinking liquids are compromised because they are not able to breathe through their nose. 

Symptoms in children may include:

  • Difficulty with speech / pronunciation

  • Chewing and/or swallowing issues

  • Picky eaters, messy eaters, gags easily, food pocketing

  • Mouth breathing / open mouth posture, excessive drooling

  • Snoring / Sleep disordered breathing