I have a 2.5 year old who had her first dentist appt. The dentist was quite alarmed at her overbite. He mentioned speech issues, pain and even trouble eating! I had no idea it was so bad and just assumed she would still change a lot by the time she would need braces.

In your opinion, does she need to be seen and assessed or would you advise to see what happens over the next few years?  She has a dummy at bedtime, could this have caused issues?

 

Not all parts of the body develop at the same rate. The lower jaw tends to grow after the top jaw. At this age it would be normal to have an increased overbite (horizontal distance between upper and lower teeth). Her swallowing pattern, facial muscles and speech are still developing. Given the dynamics of growth and development I would recommend to continue to monitor the situation, but it is unlikely that you need to be alarmed.

I encourage the elimination of a dummy by the age of 3 years. It can be a challenging exercise to remove a dummy, when it is often so intrinsic to a settling routine. Further, if the dummy is eliminated care must be taken not to replace it with a thumb or finger sucking habit. Various approaches exist. These include a reward calendar system. Altering the tip of the dummy by cutting can also disrupt the experience very effectively.

The good news is that usually once the habit is removed at this age, there is a tendency for teeth to spontaneously improve without treatment. It is of greater concern if these habits continue to the age when adult teeth are coming into the mouth, which usually occurs after 5 years of age.

I think it is excellent that your young child has seen a dentist. Often an early visit can introduce important preventative concepts. Both oral hygiene and dietary considerations are key concepts to introduce at this age.