INFANT TRAINER™

The INFANT TRAINER™ from Myofunctional Research is an active exerciser that encourages your child to chew correctly while using the jaw muscles. Most importantly, the INFANT TRAINER™ makes your child breathe through their nose, it also trains them to swallow and position the tongue correctly. Research clearly illustrates that correct facial, jaw and dental growth depends strongly on all of these factors. The INFANT TRAINER™ may prevent the need for orthodontic treatment such as braces and extractions as your child grows older. MRC has a series of integrated TRAINERS for mixed and permanent teeth to ensure your child develops correctly as new permanent teeth appear from ages 6 to 12 years.


Features

The INFANT TRAINER™ has several key features to assist the growth and development of your child:

1: The Air Spring allows a gentle, active stimulation to the growing facial and jaw muscles.

2: The Tongue Tag actively trains the child to position their tongue and swallow correctly.

3: When in place, the Tongue Guard prevents thumb sucking and subsequent tongue thrusting. This breaks a serious habit that causes many dental and jaw joint (TMJ) problems in later life.




Research shows that mouth breathers have less attractive faces than conventional nose breathers. The design of the INFANT TRAINER™ teaches your child to breathe through their nose. The change of breathing patterns has been shown to correct jaw growth and improve general health.


Convenient Strap-Tether

Young children will use the INFANT TRAINER™ for a short period and then spit it out, just like a dummy. In time, the child will want the INFANT TRAINER™ back as they feel the need to chew again. A convenient quick release strap is provided with each appliance. This strap can be attached to a child's clothing, and avoids the INFANT TRAINER™ falling to the floor when it is spat out. The child can use the INFANT TRAINER™ at night before sleep, and the convenient strap ensures that it will be easily found in the morning.

The correct growth and development of your child is just as important as their health and education. Children develop most rapidly between the ages of 2 and 5 years. During this period, 70% of the growth of your child’s face and jaw occurs. Unfortunately, the majority of children do not experience correct facial and jaw development, resulting in unattractive faces and crowded teeth.

Children naturally want to chew objects. This is an important impulse that ensures the jaw receives the exercise it requires to develop correctly. Primitive races turned to hard foods, bones and raw vegetables to achieve this development. Our children often don’t have access to this kind of stimulus, and as a result they experience many problems related to the growth of their face and jaws. A child’s instinct is to chew to stimulate jaw growth, but modern diets do not properly cater for this.

Children also develop habits like thumb sucking, incorrect swallowing and mouth breathing. All of these habits create poor facial growth, a retruded lower jaw and crowded teeth. The early prevention of these problems is the best way to ensure your child achieves their full potential.

Show the INFANT TRAINER™ to the child and allow them to hold the handle. Encourage them to put it into their mouth. Children from ages 2 to 5 years will naturally chew on the INFANT TRAINER™. Allow them to associate the appliance with playtime, and encourage them to keep it in their mouth.

Use for 10-20 minutes twice daily – this is sufficient to have a positive effect on children’s jaw muscles, swallowing and breathing. It is best to continue daily use during this critical growth stage.

The INFANT TRAINER™ can be sterilised by boiling for 10 minutes if needed. Usually it is sufficient to rinse with warm water and replace back in the container provided.

IS THUMBSUCKING REALLY BAD?
NINE NETWORK AUSTRALIA 2006. Program: WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, broadcast - Mondays, 7:30pm. Reporter: Brooke Hanson.
http://health.ninemsn.com.au

BREAST FEEDING & MALOCCLUSION
Articles reprinted with permission from Dental Asia Magazine
More Milk, Stronger Teeth? (Part I)
More Milk, Stronger Teeth? (Part II)