Functional Jaw Orthopedics
What is Functional Jaw Orthopedics?
The function of an orthopedic surgeon is common knowledge. Working a body part, which can be a bone or a joint, and giving it back its function. This is what Functional Jaws Orthopedics is all about: the biomechanical removable appliances ideally intervene during the child’s growth, helping the jaw bones to grow correctly, allowing breathing, chewing, speaking, tongue and facial muscles, head and spine posture, and finally the teeth, to adopt a correct position and function.
Goals
The main goal of early intervention is to easily solve a problem that, if not treated, could develop and cause complex skeletal damage, which in some situations requires surgical intervention.
In a phase of the child’s development and growth that may coincide with the change from baby teeth to permanent teeth, the main objective of the technique is not tooth alignment, but rather to enable the musculoskeletal system of the face to work and grow correctly.
How does the treatment work?
The removable braces work by stimulating the mouth bone structure, which remodels itself according to the treatment time. Through this change in the structure’s format, the positioning of the teeth, muscles and joints adapts to the stimuli created by the professional.
Benefits
• They favour the change from deciduous teeth to permanent teeth;
• They stimulate the jaw bones to grow correctly, making breathing, chewing, speaking, tongue and facial muscles, posture of the head and spine, and teeth to adopt a correct position and function;
• Correcting it early on allows us to solve, in a simpler and more effective way, a problem that tends to, in most cases, worsen with growth.
• They prevent the retention of impacted teeth, which can even become embedded in bone if at the time of their eruptive strength there is no space for the dental arch;
• They allow you to brush and floss your teeth as usual;
• Painless and minimally invasive treatment.
Step by step in the Functional Jaw Orthopedics consultation
1st appointment: Initial diagnosis, with diagnostic X-rays performed and questions clarified;
2nd appointment: Presentation of the treatment plan with the multiple phases, molds and photographs, for making the dental appliance which can be customized by the child;
3rd appointment: Hand over the dental appliances to the patient; instructions and motivation for correct use;
4th and following control appointments: Monthly visits, for activation of the dental appliances and to direct the jaws growth. When the established goals are reached, the consultations become regular, every 6 months in most cases, to follow the child’s growth.
Responsible team
Dr. Joana Beirolas
Frequently Asked Questions
At what age can my child start correcting a malocclusion problem?
Once the problem is diagnosed, the child can undergo minor interventions and guidelines are given in order to make it easier to correct it. The use of these dental appliances is indicated from the age of 3.
Is bruxism (teeth grinding) normal?
No, it will always have to be evaluated by the orthodontist, and it may be related to factors such as stress/anxiety, mouth breathing, gastroesophageal reflux, or wakeful bruxism.
My child still has baby teeth, can she/he use dental appliances?
Yes, removable braces not only allow the change from baby teeth to permanent teeth, they also make this change easier.
My child breathes through her/his mouth, has trouble sleeping, snores, wakes up tired, what should i do?
Nasal breathing may be obstructed due to several reasons, you should consult an ENT specialist to work together with your orthodontist, since years of mouth breathing can delay/condition the correct growth of the jaws, tongue position and muscles.
Do removable appliances cause pain?
No. It is a minimally invasive treatment, and the main objective is to stimulate the correct growth of the jaws.
Is there an increase in the number of cavities with the placement of braces?
No, because your child removes the braces for meals and dental hygiene.
Should i wait until all the baby teeth are gone before taking my child to an orthodontic appointment?
No, that is a misconception. By then, your child has already had years of incorrect growth, with skeletal and dental changes that could have been corrected or even prevented.
My child has a problem/delay in speech, should i wait to have speech therapy and then take my child to an orthodontist?
No. The concept of Functional Orthopedics covers various areas such as working with myofunctional therapy. Speech therapists benefit if the mouth has an appropriate size and shape. That way, orthodontics and speech therapy work together/simultaneously.
With these braces, is there anything my child should avoid eating?
No, because the child removes it before eating. On the contrary, the child should have a varied diet rich in fibrous foods that facilitate the correct growth of the jaws.
Your first consultation begins here.
After requesting your appointment, our team will contact in order to find the best date for you.
Our patients are very important to us and we always do what we can to help them have a better quality of life and a smile that promotes their well-being.