Functional Applications:
Functional appliances are both fixed and removable. They are primarily used on growing children ages 5 to 14. It is our philosophy that for children, early treatment is the key. Functional appliances help change the jaw position and growth, giving more favorable position of upper and lower jaws, and wider tooth arches. This can provide more room for straighter teeth.
Functional appliances can help correct:
- Bite problems
- Narrow arches
- Crowded teeth
- Jaw joint problems
- Thumb sucking
- Tongue thrust
- Underdeveloped lower jaws
Functional appliances are best used with children while they are still growing. By 12 years old 90% of the jaw growth has already occurred. The key to treating children is to guide the jaw growth at an early age to help prevent later skeletal and functional problems.
Functional problems include thumbsucking, tongue thrust (rather common) and lip biting. All of these can have a massive detromental affect on tooth position. They can actually cause teeth to be out of place and crooked. A further concern is airway problems. Airway problems can be casued by allergies, large tonsil and adenoids, obstructed breathing passages and collapsed tooth arches. If we see airway problems often your child will be refered by us to ENT (ear, nose, and throat specialist) for diagnosis if the airway concerns are not adressed and teeth are straightened. Later relapse can occur.
There are many functional appliance types. They can be both fixed and removable. Once your child orthodontic records have been taken, we will book an appointment for a full consultation, and go over types of functional appliance needed that best suits your childs condition.