Functional braces, also known as functional appliances, help create space in your child’s mouth for their adult teeth. Utilising early treatment forms such as functional appliances can greatly reduce the time a child needs to spend in fixed braces or aligners as they age.
We recommend that children have their first consultation with a Specialist Orthodontist around the age of 7 or 8. At this age, Dr Betty can check for potential issues before they arise. We offer multiple kinds of early treatment including expanders, space maintainers, the Twin Block Appliance, and even Invisalign® First clear aligners.
If your child doesn’t have enough room in their mouth to house their teeth, expanders can be useful in providing space. By turning a screw in the centre of their appliance, we can gradually widen their dental arch.
Space maintainers help to hold space for incoming teeth in your child’s mouth. Sometimes, children lose baby teeth due to trauma, or their permanent teeth take extra time to grow in. In these cases, space maintainers ensure that there will be adequate room for their growing and incoming teeth.
As the name suggests, the Twin Block Appliance consists of two plates that lower jaws. The Twin Block Appliance can shift your child’s lower jaw forward if they suffer from an overbite.
Come in for a consultation with Dr Betty, so she can catch issues before they begin and guide their smile as they grow.
258 Courtenay Street
Strandon
New Plymouth 4312
8:15am - 4:30pm Monday to Thursday
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