Orthopaedic orthodontics, also known as dento-facial orthopaedics, is a method or approach to orthodontics that helps to guide facial development and manipulate the jaw through the use of functional appliances.
For example, mouth breathing can produce narrow arches and crowded teeth. Using functional appliances during active periods of growing can help achieve broad beautiful smiles. Untreated mouth breathing can lead to poor sleep habits and insufficient quality of sleep.
Narrow jaws tend to confine the tongue and may interfere with clear normal speech. After functional appliance therapy, a child’s ability to speak clearly may be greatly enhanced as a result of ensuring proper jaw growth.
During early age orthopaedic orthodontic treatment, patients may choose to visit a cranial osteopath or cranially trained chiropractor to enhance the benefits of treatment. Talk to your dentist about this if you’d like to know more about this interesting work.
Functional appliances can help correct:
- Narrow arches
- Crowded teeth
- Bite problems
- Underdeveloped jaws
- Deep overbites
- Breathing/airway problems
- Thumb/finger sucking habits
- Jaw joint problems
Functional appliances may prevent or reduce:
- Speech difficulties
- Crowding
- Lengthy use of fixed brackets
- Removal/extraction of permanent/adult teeth
- Fang-like tooth appearance
Early treatment can often eliminate the need to remove adult teeth. Treating problems early can greatly enhance the child’s wellbeing and self-esteem, but additionally it can help produce a healthier child and improve their quality of sleep.
