Myobrace for Children: How Early Habit Correction Shapes Healthier Smiles
We all have bad habits. As you read that sentence, a few probably pop into your head. Well, bad habits aren’t just reserved for adults. Children develop bad habits all the time and while many are harmless, there are some oral habits that can have dramatic effects on how their face and jaw develop. By recognizing and addressing these bad habits early you could save your child from a long path of expensive and invasive treatments.
As a parent in the Phoenix area, you’re probably already aware of braces, expanders, and Invisalign for kids. However, before all of those things come into play, why not address the problems at the source? In this article, we’re going to discuss the Myobrace and how it’s used to correct bad habits and guide healthy development in children.
What is Myobrace?
Myobrace is a series of soft, removable appliances that your child wears for about an hour each day and then overnight while they’re sleeping. Rather than acting as a traditional teeth brace that’s main focus is pushing teeth into place, Myobrace is focused on correcting the underlying issues that cause overcrowding and misalignment. These include things like poor tongue posture, mouth breathing, and a weak lip seal.
Why Oral Habits Matter More Than You Might Think
Most parents assume that crowded teeth or misaligned teeth are all about genetics. However, they’re really only part of the story. The lesser known culprit is what are known as “oral myofunctional habits,” which is just a fancy way of saying habits that can affect things like how your child’s jaw develops, how their teeth come in, and even how their face looks over time.
Myobrace is all about retraining these bad habits before they get out of hand. Myobrace works to encourage
nasal breathing,
help the tongue rest on the top of the mouth, and
promote a proper swallow and lip seal.
How to Spot Problems Early
At this point you’re probably thinking, “how do I even know if my child has bad habits?”
One of the biggest red flags is
mouth breathing. If your child often sleeps with their mouth open, wakes up with a dry mouth, or you notice that there’s a gap between their lips when they’re not talking, there’s a good chance they primarily breathe through their mouth. For proper development, kids should be using nasal breathing most of the time, meaning lips together and tongue resting on the roof of the mouth.
Something else to keep an eye out for is your child’s
smile or bite. Do their front teeth stick out a bit creating a slight
overbite? When they smile do they have an overbite smile (upper teeth filling out the smile and barely being able to see the bottom teeth)? These can be early signs that their jaw is developing improperly.
Something else to keep an eye out for is
swallowing. If you see your child pushing their tongue forward against or between their teeth when they swallow, this is a sign that they are
tongue thrusting. If this habit isn’t addressed it can cause all sorts of long term problems like open bites, misaligned teeth, changes in facial structure and speech problems such as lisps.
If you notice any of these signs, it’s important to set up an initial consultation with an orthodontist ASAP so they can determine if there’s any pre-orthodontic measures like Myobrace that can correct the problems early.
Benefits of Myobrace
Benefit 1: Jaw Development
One of the biggest benefits that your child gets from Myobrace is healthier jaw development.
By encouraging nasal breathing, proper tongue placement and correct use of lip and cheek muscles, Myobrace helps the upper and lower jaw develop to their full size. The result is more space for your child’s permanent teeth meaning a reduced risk of crowded teeth.
Proper jaw development especially matters for kids with overbites. Even if it’s only a slight overbite. Without early treatment an overbite can worsen with time and require much more complex treatment in the future.
When a parent or child looks at overbite before and after photos the front teeth are usually the first thing they notice. However, the real win is how the jaws, bite and overall facial structure move into a healthier and more balanced position.
Benefit 2: Better Breathing
It surprises a lot of people, but breathing is a big orthodontic topic.
Over time habitual mouth breathing can narrow the upper jaw, change tongue posture and affect how one’s face grows. By using Myobrace to train your child early on to breathe through their nose, you can dramatically impact their quality of life.
Nasal breathing can support better sleep, more consistent energy, and improved focus throughout the day. The goal is never just straight teeth; it’s helping your child live a healthier life overall.
Benefit 3: Guide Natural Growth
When it comes to oral health, early treatment is critical. Take care of an issue right away and you could find yourself avoiding some seriously expensive and seriously complex treatments down the line.
What Myobrace does a great job at is dealing with problems early and at the source. Instead of waiting until crowded teeth or misaligned teeth become a problem and then forcing them into place, Myobrace helps guide the natural growth of the jaws, teeth, and facial structure from the beginning.
Myobrace offers the opportunity to work alongside your child’s natural growth so that any future treatment whether its braces or invisalign for kids, is shorter, simpler and potentially not needed at all!
Benefit 4: Change Habits
If you’ve had braces you know the drill. After the braces come off, you wear a retainer and you do that often for the rest of your life and if you don’t, your teeth can do some unwanted shifting, relapsing back to their original positions.
With Myobrace, you’re not just lining teeth up; you’re making changes to the actual patterns that caused the problems in the first place. From correcting tongue thrusting to breaking mouth breathing patterns you’re making a sustainable change that can eliminate habits that could have your teeth creeping back over time.
Healthy habits support a healthy bite.
Benefit 5: Confidence You Can See
The Myobrace system can truly change your child’s life. Look at myobrace before and after photos and you’ll be shocked at the changes. It’s more than just straighter teeth. The jawline, cheek support, and overall facial structure can change dramatically as jaws grow more fully and the airway and habits improve.
Easier breathing, better sleep, and a smile they actually feel proud to show off. It's hard to get better than that!
Is Myobrace Right For Your Child?
Myobrace won’t make sense for every child. However, if you’ve noticed crowded teeth, an overbite, or signs of chronic mouth breathing in your child, scheduling an early evaluation is an important first step to knowing.
At Blacker Orthodontics, our job is to help you and your child find a treatment option that will deliver you the best possible result. Maybe that’s Myobrace, but even if it’s something else, that initial consultation lets us get a baseline and then go from there so your child can have a happy and healthy smile for years to come.
