Myofunctional Appliances at
Chatswood Dental Associates
When a young child begins to show signs of tooth crowding in their mouth, parents may become worried about the possibility of braces in the future. Now is the time to speak with your dentist about myofunctional appliances.
What Are Myofunctional Appliances?
The floor of the nose is the top of the jaw. If the top is very narrow or arched, it will have an effect on breathing, which will start to impact other areas in the body’s systems.
Myofunctional appliances help restore normal shaping by changing your child’s habits. For example, teeth crowding may be caused by tongue posture or lip tightness. In a growing child, if we can remove those external forces, over time, nature pushes everything back to where it belongs. Fundamentally, it’s about strengthening the jaw and then aligning the teeth naturally. Myofunctional appliances use the facial and masticatory muscles to produce changes in the relation of teeth or arches.
What to Expect
Some signs your child might need an appliance include bed wetting, breathing issues, snoring, not swallowing properly, dribbling, and tooth crowding. By using a myofunctional appliance, or expanders for the very young, we’re able to restore a normal breathing pathway.
To prevent or reduce the length of any future orthodontic procedures, we start children in the 3-7 year-old range with a rubber appliance, like a mouthguard. It’s worn only at night to start, adding some daytime hours as the child grows.
The appliance is comfortable and pain-free; we choose the best fit for their mouth. The biggest issue we see is getting the kids to use them. After the first couple of weeks, they get used to it, and wear it without a problem. We tell our parents they should do nightly checks at the start to ensure it doesn’t “fall on the floor.”
Find Out More
Schedule an appointment to discuss if your child might benefit from myofunctional appliances. Call us today!
* Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.