FUNCTIONAL APPLIANCES
Removable Braces for Children
Functional braces are a dental appliance used to correct the positioning of the jaw. For this reason they are usually used with younger patients in order to gradually treat problems such as correcting an overbite or temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) and problems with your jaw and the muscles in your face, whilst also correcting the alignment of their teeth.
Functional appliances can be used solely on the upper teeth (URA or Upper Removable Appliance) or on upper and lower teeth together (twin block). They consist of a clear plastic tray which fits to the roof of the mouth, along with a metal wire. Unlike ‘Train track’ block braces which are glued to the teeth, functional braces are removable. Designed to be worn day and night, they can be removed in order to brush teeth, play an instrument or for sports. You can initially remove them when eating too although we would encourage you to keep them in where possible as this will enable the treatment to progress more quickly and effectively.
If used early enough, functional braces can cut out the need for tooth removal and can also correct issues such as a narrow jaw in preparation for the emergence of adult teeth. Functional braces yield the best results when fitted to children between the ages of 11 and 14 although in more extreme cases they can be fitted to children from 8 years old.
Interceptive treatment
Interceptive treatment can be performed on younger children in order to correct potential problems such early as protruding teeth, a misaligned jaw or overcrowding before they really begins to happen. This treatment generally takes place between the ages of 7 and 9 and can last for up to a year. It significantly reduces the the need for complicated treatments in the future, including unnecessary tooth removal or more severe/long term braces in their teens.
If you have any concerns about your child’s teeth as their adult molars begin to come through, we are happy to talk through different treatment options with you. We also detail things you should look out for in this blog post.
