22 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST SLS and Microplastics Free .... CURAPROX CURAPROX AUSTRALIA | www.curaprox.com.au | 08 7079 3779 PEACH + APRICOT Peach banner.indd 1 8/02/2022 3:38:53 PM Choosing the perfect dummy: Five things to keep in mind1 1. The dummy needs a flexible mouth shield—not one made from plastic— in order to avoid putting stress on the incisors and thus causing an open bite. 2. The tip should be as flexible as possible. The tongue should be able to exert pressure against the upper palate, allowing it to expand. 3. An upper jaw that is too small or too narrow develops early, usually before the child is 18 months old. That is why an ideal dummy has a flat, short tip to save as much space as possible for the tongue. 4. The dummy must be as light as possible in order to avoid putting stress on the muscles of the tongue and lips. For this reason, dummies with a chain should be avoided. 5. Contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to choose bigger sizes as the child grows. The child should, ideally, be weaned off the dummy as early as possible, and when a baby does not accept a dummy in the first place, this choice should be encouraged. A dummy as therapy “The Curaprox soother comes in three sizes. Size 0 is the one babies would use from birth until they are about seven months old. Interestingly, because of the shape and the action necessary to keep it in the mouth, babies tend to put the soother aside themselves after this period and no longer need one. This saves the parent a great deal of time, as it is then unnecessary to wean the child off the soother. What happens with most dummies is that you train the child to continue suckling, which leads on to the upgrades to bigger sizes. The parent thinks the child needs a dummy; however, I believe the child is simply being trained to rely on it.” The Curaprox soother is a useful tool in preventing those orthodontic and speech problems that are not caused by genetics. This is where Size 1 and 2 come in. A Swiss study has shown the soother to be effective in developing a mature swallowing pattern, as well as in correcting crossbites and open bites in 2- to 5-year-old children.2 “I use Sizes 1 and 2 with children who already have malocclusions, very often caused by other dummies,” Westermann confirmed. “I train with them to use the Curaprox soother to achieve normal occlusion again. When you put pressure on it in the middle with the tongue, the pressure goes to the wings which stretch the jaw open, and a normal palate can develop. My recommendation is to only use Size 0 up to the age of one. This would be the stage that from a dentist’s point of view is crucial for jaw development, and from a speech therapist’s view, it would be a great start to learn to talk without being hindered by a dummy. Choosing the right dummy prevents many problems in the future.” Unlike conventional dummies, the Curaprox soother has a flat, short tip. This gives the palate a chance to grow rather than causing it to take on the abnormal higharched shape caused by most dummies. The flat tip prevents the development of an open bite. It also prevents misalignments and supports nose-breathing. According to Westermann, the Curaprox soother is unique in that it needs to be used actively, otherwise it falls out of the baby’s mouth. “It stimulates healthy jaw development. The soother only stays in babies’ mouths if they actively use their muscles in the correct way. In that sense, the soother goes hand in hand with breastfeeding training.” u References 1. Furtenbach M, Adamer I, Specht-Moser B, editors. Myofunktionelle Therapie Kompakt 1: Prävention. Vienna: Praesens; 2013. 240 p. 2. Filippi C, Filippi A, Verna C. Frühkindliche kieferorthopädische Therapie mittels Schnuller? Swiss Dent J. 2015;125(9):959-70. French, German. https://bit.ly/3d9XqDL PROFILES
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