Malocclusions Can Actually Delay Reading

The other day, I was reading with my son. His teacher had given him a list of the most common words in the English language. Not surprisingly, “the” is the first word followed by “be, to, of, and, a, in, that, have, I, it, for, not, on, with, he, as, you, do, at,” in that order.

The Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists claims that the first 25 words make up about one-third of all printed material in English, and that the first 100 make up about one-half of all written material.

Not surprisingly, nowhere on the list was the word, “Malocclusion.” Except for a child who has heard about braces, most children will not know what the word even means.

Malocclusion refers to misalignment of teeth. Your child may have been born with them, so the teeth simply grow in crooked, or the misalignment and crowding of the teeth occurred over a period of time. Either way, not only can malocclusion pose cosmetic issues, but it can have a negative effect on your child’s speaking and eating abilities as well.

At Columbia Orthodontics with Dr. Croft, there is treatment available for malocclusion. These treatments include braces, Invisalign, or other corrective treatments.

If your child is learning to read and you are concerned about his or her teeth, give us a call. Children should be examined by the time they are 7-years-old to access what type of treatment might be needed later on.

Don’t let malocclusion delay any aspect of your child’s life.

Call today (360) 883-3800 or click here to schedule an appointment.