Dr. David's

Pearls of Wisdom

Chewing is the most important exercise for a young child to develop their
jaws and facial structures to their fullest potential. At birth, the bone is flexible and
easily shaped. The muscles of the head and neck shape the way the bones in the
jaw and skull form. It is the first several years of life the bone structure is highly
receptive to the forces from surrounding muscle. As soon as a baby becomes aware
of their jaw and its movement, the jaw can start morphing its way to a wide, broad,
shape with enough chewing exercises.


If the muscles are not exercised enough, or the tongue is restricted with a tight
tongue tie, the jaw bone tends to form in a narrow, triangular shape. When the jaw
forms in a narrow shape, there is less room for the teeth to erupt and they will
crowd on top of each other in order to fit the space they are given. A narrow jaw and
crowded teeth lead to jaw joint dysfunction, sleep issues, periodontal disease, and
systemic disease. Fortunately, orthodontic work can move the teeth with external
forces from wire and brackets. Although orthodontic work is a great tool to have in
the back pocket, avoiding it completely or at least a long duration of treatment can
help discourage destruction of attachment tissues that hold the teeth in the jaw
bone. As we age, the jawbone will harden around the teeth. This happens as early
as out teenage years.


A wide, spacious jawbone is desirable because it allows more space for adult
teeth to erupt in a favorable manner. The easier it is for the adult teeth to erupt, the
less likely they will erupt in a crowded manner. It is common for orthodontist to wait
until patients have all of their adult teeth prior to starting orthodontic treatment. By
waiting, we lose the window of opportunity to develop the jaws to prepare for the
teeth to come in. Unfortunately, orthodontist may need to remove teeth to create
the room that could have been made earlier in the patient’s developmental phase.
So, why wait? Give your young children hard carrots to chew, or supervise them
chewing chicken right off the bone. Good development starts with chewing, so
encourage it as often as possible.