The way our face develops impacts several things, from our identity and self-image to our self-esteem. What factors have shaped the way you look and what effects did they have? Because our practice focuses on beauty, balance, and breath, craniofacial development and the factors that most influence it are points of special interest for neuromuscular dentistry.
For more information on craniofacial development, check out Dr. Marzban’s book “Craniofacial Development: From Infancy to Adult.”
3 Primary Contributors to Craniofacial Development
Creating beautiful, functional smiles is what great dentistry is all about. The foundational elements of a great smile center around the face and framing beautiful teeth with healthy, aesthetically appealing features. Three of the most influential structures in craniofacial development include:
- [link id=’52982′ text=’Tongue‘ esc_html=’false’]
- [link id=’114′ text=’TMJ‘ esc_html=’false’]
- [link id=’108′ text=’Airway‘ esc_html=’false’]
Tongue
The tongue is an especially important feature of craniofacial development. How someone positions their tongue in their mouth can influence both how they breathe and how their jaw develops. The ideal resting position for the tongue is pressed up against the roof of the mouth. When someone habitually rests their tongue on the floor of their mouth instead, it can cause the appearance of a double chin and a more rounded profile.
Another example, of the tongue’s influence on facial development is its role in promoting mouth breathing. If a person does not hold their tongue at the roof of their mouth while at rest, it can encourage mouth breathing. Mouth breathing can lead the midface to not grow properly and the lower face to narrow and elongate.
TMJ
The temporomandibular joint is another crucial player in the development of a person’s face. A TMJ that develops incorrectly can lead to crowding, overdeveloped, and underdeveloped jaws. As one of the most complex joints in the body, TMJ development is vulnerable to more than genetic influences. Behavioral patterns and events such as early thumb sucking, mouth breathing, and trauma can also change the course of the jaw joint’s development.
Additionally, underdeveloped jaw growth is also linked to sleep apnea and airway issues.
Airway
In addition to the influences tongue posture and resulting mouth breathing have, airway development can also change the shape of a person’s face. For example, poor airway development can change the way someone holds their face. Someone who does not breathe through their nose will generally hold their mouth slightly open. Poor airway development and improper tongue posturing can also lead to sleep apnea which can cause dark circles under the eyes and general fatigued features in the face such as wrinkles.
Correcting Undesirable Outcomes of Facial Development
The tongue, TMJ, and airway all affect the our craniofacial development. These features impact the shape of our faces, how we hold our facial muscles, how symmetrical our faces are, and countless other variations of facial features. If not positioned correctly or developed fully, the tongue, TMJ, and airway can cause the face to take on features that are not ideal. These undesirable outcomes don’t have to be permanent and can often be undone through dental treatment procedures.
To schedule a consultation, patients can call our office at703-323-8200 or visit our [link id=’50003′ text=’contact form‘ esc_html=’false’].
