If you’ve ever seen your kid’s jaw look unaligned, it might be due to the upper or lower parts of the jaw protruding out. This is called prognathism. This is called a sort of overdevelopment of one of the jaw parts, so they’re mismatched, unable to fit correctly. 

This can be a bit frustrating to tell a kid, since they might not understand why their jawbone is so misaligned. But once you have a unique conversation with them, along with a dentist, they’ll be able to get the help that they need to treat prognathism, and the ideal treatment plan for this.

Some may call this an overjet, or an overbite.   If the lower parts of the drawer are producing, this is called underbite. For the most part, it isn’t just the dentist they’re working with, but also the orthodontist, and also maxillofacial surgeons to manage, and fix the issues at hand.

Causes for Prognathism 

While it may just be a genetic reason, it could also be due to various things. Overdevelopment is usually a genetic defect, and a rare condition that underlies all of this. 

One of them is Crouzon syndrome, where the bones within the skull permanently fuse, so it affects the structure of the face.

There’s also nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome, which is a genetic defect that does affect the skin, bones, and your overall nervous system.

Gigantism is another reason, where the child may grow too much, especially height, and that’s due to the imbalance of hormones.

The other one is acromegaly, which is an excessive growth period, but this won’t likely occur until a child reaches adulthood.

When you should see a Professional 

Prognathism isn’t always a problem, but there’s definitely some cosmetic problems that come with the extended jaw that may impact the face shape during birth.

But, if the over or underbite is affecting their jaw shape, and causes problems with biting, chewing, or even talking, then you’ll definitely want to see a pro. The same goes for when a child or adult can’t do normal activities, as this won’t naturally go away unless you do something about it.

Treatments 

Treating this problem involves working directly with the orthodontist, a dentist, and also oral surgeons. 

The dental team might also involve a doctor if the problems of the jaw are related to gigantism and Crouzon syndrome. 

According to the American association of orthodontists, having children seeing orthodontists sooner, rather than down the line, may impact the course of treatment for jaw alignment that’s not normal. 

They do want their child to see an orthodontist as early as seven if they have this condition, as this will be enough time for the professional to look at this.

Before you start any prognathism forms of treatment, the dental team will work with you and the child, in order to ensure that everyone’s on the correct page. 

Communication of this is vital to successful outcomes, since the child will have a tailored course based on their needs. So don’t be shy when working with them and asking questions. a child’s health, especially with this condition is top priority. 

Once they figure out the metal history and all of the nitty gritty, they’ll then look at x-rays and bite imprints.   They then will recommend either orthodontic treatment, or a mouth guard. 

In rare instances, they may recommend orthognathic surgery, where they move the jaws into alignment. But this isn’t usually done until the growth of the jaw stops.   They may use braces before surgery, and then after that in order to ensure that the ideal alignment is it.