Specialized Pediatric Chiropractic Care for Palate Shape

At Safe Haven, we’re dedicated to providing holistic, specialized care that supports your baby’s health from the ground up—starting with essential foundations like palatal development. Proper palatal growth begins before birth, influenced significantly by the tongue’s natural movements. When the tongue can move freely and interact with the palate, it helps shape the palate to be wide and U-shaped. However, issues like restricted tongue movement, often due to tongue ties, can interfere with this process, leading to a high, narrow palate that may impact feeding, breathing, and overall craniofacial development.

Factors Contributing to a High, Narrow Palate

Several factors can affect palate shape and function in babies, including:

Tongue Tie – Restricted tongue mobility due to a short or tight frenulum, impacting palate shaping.
Congenital Conditions or Genetics – Certain congenital or inherited traits can affect cranial and palatal development.
Cranial Restrictions – Tensions or imbalances in the cranial bones and spine.
Environmental Influences – Such as extended pacifier use or prolonged intubation

Modern lifestyle changes have also led to notable shifts in craniofacial structure. Compared to our ancestors, today’s jaws are narrower, and palates are higher and more V-shaped, which can increase issues like crowded teeth and breathing difficulties.

Types of Palatal Shapes

Understanding palate shape can help you make sense of your baby’s anatomy:

Narrow Palate: Occurs when the palate width is less than average, often resembling a V shape instead of a wide U.
High-Arched Palate: When the palate depth is greater than average, creating a high arch. Subtypes include:
Channel Palate: A groove down the center.
Vaulted (Cathedral) Palate: A gently curved V-shape, merging elements of a U and V.
Bubble Palate: A central round depression.
Short Palate: When the length from front to back is shorter than average, sometimes due to high arches or craniofacial anomalies.

How Chiropractic Cranial Work and Upper Cervical Adjustments Support Tongue and Palate Health

At Safe Haven, we utilize gentle chiropractic cranial work and upper cervical adjustments to support proper tongue function and cranial alignment, both essential for shaping the palate and optimizing feeding. Through careful adjustments, we aim to release any cranial and cervical restrictions that might limit the tongue’s movement.

Cranial Work: Focuses on releasing restrictions or tensions in the cranial bones, allowing for greater freedom of movement. This can help improve tongue elevation and palate contact, which are crucial for feeding, breathing, and palate shaping.
Upper Cervical Adjustments: Address the upper neck area to support alignment and communication between nerves and muscles that control the tongue, enabling better mobility and strength for feeding and airway function.

Effects of a High Palate on Feeding and Breathing

When a baby has a high palate, feeding challenges often arise, including:

Reduced Suction: A high, narrow palate can make it challenging to create a strong latch, leading to poor milk transfer and even weight gain issues.
Nipple Pain: Shallow latching due to the narrow palate angle can press the nipple against the hard palate, causing significant discomfort.
Breathing Issues: Narrow palates can lead to nasal congestion and mouth-breathing tendencies, which further restrict the palate’s ability to expand.
Reflux and Gagging: Babies with high palates may struggle with reflux and gag reflex issues, as they can’t maintain suction or easily transfer milk, leading to increased air intake.

Through cranial and upper cervical adjustments, we work to address these feeding and breathing difficulties, providing your baby with a supportive foundation for proper oral function and airway health.

Activities to Support Palate Development

In addition to chiropractic care, we recommend gentle activities that can support palate development and improve feeding function:

Sleepy-Time Tongue Suction: Encourage the tongue to rest against the palate during sleep to support natural palate expansion.
Palate Wipers: Simple side-to-side motions on the palate to stimulate lateral expansion.
Palate Sweeps: Outward motions on either side of the palate, applying light pressure to encourage width growth.

At Safe Haven, we take a whole-family approach to ensure every visit is both comforting and informative. Dr. Khan, one of the few board-certified pediatric chiropractors in Loudoun County by the Academy Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics, provides specialized care that combines cranial and cervical adjustments, gentle bodywork, and guidance on palate and tongue activities. Our goal is to support your baby’s feeding, breathing, and overall development. When needed, we also collaborate with a lactation consultant skilled in oral function to enhance tongue mobility and feeding support.

Our goal is to help your baby thrive at every stage with personalized, holistic care. If you have questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please reach out to us.

Office Hours

Morning

Afternoon

Monday

9:00 – 1:00

3:00 – 6:00

Tuesday

9:00 – 1:00

3:00 – 6:00

Wednesday

9:00 – 1:00

3:00 – 6:00

Thursday

9:00 – 1:00

3:00 – 6:00

Friday

Some Friday Appointments