Early functional orthodontic therapy involves the use of orthodontic appliances to correct dental and skeletal problems in children while their jawbones are still developing. This therapy can be started as soon as 6 years old or whenever the problem is first detected.
By correcting these abnormalities early on, we can ensure proper alignment of teeth and jaws, which not only improves the appearance of the teeth but also enhances overall oral health.
In addition to the cosmetic and functional benefits, this greatly improves the airway and breathing throughout life, helping to correct snoring and sleep apnea.
Some of the benefits of early functional orthodontic therapy include:
- Reduced treatment time: By correcting dental and skeletal abnormalities early, we can often reduce the overall treatment time needed to correct the issue. This means that children can achieve the desired results faster and with fewer visits to the orthodontist.
- Improved facial symmetry and profile: Proper alignment of teeth and jaws not only improves oral health but also enhances facial symmetry, which can boost a child's self-esteem and confidence.
- Improved oral health: Misaligned teeth are harder to clean and can lead to a variety of dental problems, including gum disease, tooth decay, and even tooth loss. Early functional orthodontic therapy can prevent these problems and improve overall oral health.
- More cost-effective: Early functional orthodontic therapy is often more cost-effective than waiting until adulthood to correct dental and skeletal abnormalities. By treating these issues early, we can often avoid more extensive and expensive treatments later on.
- Improved airway: The roof of the mouth is the same as the floor of the nose. Opening and correcting the bite not only helps create space for the tongue and reduce snoring and sleep apnea, it also helps open the nasal airway.
- Improved speech: Many children with jaw relationship issues have a speech impediment of some sort. The earlier this is corrected, the sooner the speech will improve.
- Healthy jaw joints: If the jaw is out of alignment, you can develop pain and clicking and popping in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or a disorder in that joint (TMJD) over time.
- Reduced bruxism and wear: If the teeth are out of alignment and not fitting properly, often times the bite will not be even, leading to increased wear on certain teeth and more problems with clenching and grinding.
- Reduced need for extractions: When the jaw is properly developed in size to fit all the teeth early on, there’s no need to extract teeth to make space to straighten the teeth later-on.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation, please don't hesitate to contact our office.
