Anterior Open Bite Treated With Palatal Crib and Myofunctional Therapy: A Case Report

The most prevalent oral habit and one of the most often habitual behavioral patterns in preschool-aged children is thumb-sucking. This behavior is crucial to the development of malocclusion and must be addressed carefully since it may cause a secondary tongue thrust that worsens the issue. Developing an effective treatment plan requires determining the underlying cause, which may include psychological, physiological, and or anatomical factors. Overall prevention of behavior needs to be planned for successful outcomes. One such device for treating tongue-thrusting and thumb-sucking habits is the palatal crib. The present case shows the possible effectiveness of palatal crib use in conjunction with myofunctional therapy for a child whose diagnosis involves habitually holding the tongue low and sucking the thumb that causes an anterior open bite (AOB). An 11-year-old boy with flared and spaced upper and lower incisors also had an AOB. Myofunctional therapy was combined with palatal cribs to help the tongue reposition itself and discourage the habit of sucking. The AOB was successfully corrected with an appropriate overjet and overbite after a total of three months of treatment.