An orthodontic functional appliance is either a removable plate or a fixed appliance that aims to correct the relationship between the upper and lower jaws. Often a patient will have their lower or upper jaws set too far forward or too far back. The aim of a functional appliance is ‘move’ the desired jaw back/forward into its correct position, thus ending with a more stable upper and lower jaw relationship. Occasionally we combine functional orthodontic therapy with orthopaedic expansion.
There are two main types of Functional Appliance categories – Fixed (glued-in) or removable.
Removable appliances include the classic Twin Block appliance and Clear Aligners (Angel Aligner A6 Mandibular Advancement Therapy).
*Please note that we do NOT offer Fixed Functional Therapy.
1) If a fixed appliance is made (eg. Herbst or Forsus appliance) – this is will glued to your back molars. It may be activate once every few weeks to push the jaw forward as required.
2) If the appliance is a removable plate – it is as simple as placing the appliance in your mouth and clicking it into place. Please note that this appliance needs to be worn all day and night (and during meals). It should only be removed for cleaning. Failure to wear the appliance during the require times will result in slower treatment.
Most functional appliances are designed to speed up the growth of the lower jaw. This is done by forcing the lower jaw to be positioned further forward into the proper relationship, allowing the jaw joint to grow and remodel into this new position. Severe cases may need the lower jaw to be position further forward slowly over a period of time. Once the correct relationship has been established, this position is held for a few months to allow the muscles to adapt to this new position (up to 6 months).
The appliance will be worn at all times for a period of approximately 6 – 12 months. This period may vary depending on your tailored treatment plan, and progression of treatment
once the functional appliance has been fitted. The appliance only works when it is worn, and if removed – treatment progress may be lost. Wearing a removable appliance whilst eating results in the movement of your jaw up to 13x faster!
After treatment with a functional appliance, it is very likely that you will need to have further treatment such as braces to straighten your teeth. Treatment such as braces may also commence whilst you are still wearing your functional appliance. Each case is different, and your dentist will inform you of your tailored treatment plan.
Orthodontics is not just simply about straightening teeth. Here at Dental at Keys we aim to create a beautiful full smiles. We pay particular attention to the curvature, width and height of the smile. All of these aspects involve a lot more work than just straight teeth. The last thing we want for you is to have a flat straight smile (ie. Denture smile).
We also pay great attention to the profile of your face. Not only should your smile be full, but your facial profile should match it is as well. There is no point in extracting teeth in a patient who already has a sunken profile. Similarly, patients with lips that are too full should not have this worsen. This is why we say we treat the face, and not just the teeth.
Hello straight, confident SMILES! 😁🤗
What ever your concerns are, we aim to assist you.
🦷 Beginning with a Comprehensive Examination to discuss your concerns & expectations.
🦷 We offer personalized Orthodontic plans, outlining your best, most suitable treatment options.
🦷 For all inquires please contact us and our front desk team can help assist you further.
📞: 8899 6331
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Every great transformation begins with a comprehensive + detailed examination 👌🏼
Orthodontic consults allow our dentists to discuss your dental concerns and develop a thorough plan to assist you in reaching your smile goals. 😁
Photographed results achieved using Invisalign.
For any inquires please contact us via the below details.
📞: 8899 6331
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Transforming smiles is one of our favourite things to do! 🥰😁
Alignment achieved with Invisalign, patient compliance & ofcourse our very skilled dentist 👏🏽👍🏼
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Clear aligners are an invisible and simple alternative to braces. A few brand examples include Invisalign, Spark and Angel Aligner.
It’s a series of clear, custom-made, removable aligners that gradually straighten your teeth as you wear them, each aligner moving your teeth just a little bit at a time. This movement is so small that most patients who wear aligners will only find them uncomfortable for the first few days of wear (of each tray).
They’re practically invisible, so most people won’t even know you’re in treatment, they fit around your teeth perfectly, so are usually more comfortable than regular braces, and they’re removable, so you can eat whatever you like and clean your teeth normally.
No, it’s not magic – invisible braces are a term we dentist use to describe Clear Aligners – which is a form of Orthodontic Treatment – and are not braces AT ALL! Sadly, they are not invisible per se – but they are close to invisible as one could be!
Here at Dental at Keys – we offer aligners to those who wish to straighten their teeth – but without the look of those pesky tiny rectangular braces that you normally see in kids! In fact, they are so invisible we bet you didn’t notice it on one of our nurses – Tamsin!
In fact, these clear aligners is the most popular way for our adult patients to straighten their teeth. We use a variety of system including Invisalign™ and Spark™.
If you are interested – all you have to do is contact us by calling or emailing so we can have an assessment of your teeth to see if you are suitable!
It’s time for the school holidays soon. Have you started noticing that kids are getting braces and plates younger and younger than when you were at school. Why is this?
There is a big push towards early intervention orthodontic treatment. Lots of fancy words but it essentially means that when kids have problems with crowding/bite that they can be seen earlier and hopefully get the problems corrected earlier too.
As with all things, it’s not suitable for every cases and needs to assessed by the dentist.
The most common problem is crowding of the teeth where it looks like there are too many teeth for such a little mouth! In cases like these, sometimes a plate is fixed to open up the mouth and slowly expand to make room for the teeth.
Another problem is when a bottom tooth bites on the outside of the top tooth! This can create a lot of permanent damage on the top tooth so early treatment moves the tooth back where it is meant to be!
If you’re not sure about your kid’s teeth and have any questions, let us know.
Dr Bruno does early intervention orthodontics at Dental at Keys so he can do a consult for you!
CALL US or BOOK ONLINE NOW! Click here to go to our contact page to contact us directly.
