Breast –feeding exclusively for at least 6 months and more than 12 months can reduce the potential for posterior crossbite in deciduous teeth. This recommendation from The World Health Organization is based on the benefit for both the mother and the Child.
Breast-feeding exclusively enhances craniofacial growth and development and helps prevent non-nutritive sucking habits. Breast feeding for less than six months or not at all has been shown to result in malocclusion and posterior crossbite. Crossbite in deciduous teeth develop early and rarely self correct.
If your child has developed a crossbite Dr. Heather Carr at Point Family Dentistry and Orthodontics in Bloomington, Minnesota can help.
This is interesting. I’ve always heard that breast feeding (to a point) is beneficial for infantile development. Is this the case just because the nipple on a bottle is larger and harder than a natural nipple? I guess I still have a lot to learn about infant development.
That is interesting! I am not totally sold on the idea as fact, but it is a piece of information to be investigated. The reason being that I am not understanding how it would be possible to get a cross bite from sucking on something. I have heard, I am not sure if it is myth, that a child sucking on there thumb can cause a split in the teeth, so would they also develop a cross bite, since a baby is more likely to develop a cross bite from sucking on a nipple?
The breastfeeding likely enhances the buccal expansion caused by the tongue. The sucking action will place an expansive force of the maxillary arch, thereby widening it.
In infants that dont breast feed, they may displace their tongue inferiorly and can cause the lower teeth to tip lingually, narrowing the arch.