Does my child need oral appliances?

Dr. Arabella Michlén

Monday, September 2, 2019

Dentofacial orthopedics is a specialty of dentistry closely linked to pediatric dentistry and orthodontics; in fact, the latter are the ones that provide the service to patients who require and need it.
It is important to differentiate between orthopedics and orthodontics. Both treat malocclusions; however, orthopedics deals with those that are consequences of an alteration in the growth of the maxillary bones.

Orthodontics, on the other hand, is the area of dentistry that diagnoses and corrects different malocclusions. The objective of orthopedics is to harmonize the upper jaw with the lower jaw, that is, it works at the level of the bone structures, while orthodontics corrects dental malpositions.

The appliances used in orthopaedics are extra oral and movable; they are applied during the growth stage, that is, in children. In girls up to the age of 12-13 years and in boys up to 15 years.

Generally, the pediatric dentist is the first to diagnose alterations in the growth of the maxillary bones and therefore the one who guides parents on the measures that should be taken and the type of equipment indicated for each abnormality, as well as the benefits.

Among the most common abnormalities that patients with growth disorders of the bones of the mouth present are the width and height of the jaws. Orthopedic appliances used at the appropriate time in childhood and with professional supervision correct problems such as lack of space for the eruption of permanent teeth, crossbites, and bad habits. In other cases, orthodontic treatments are avoided or, failing that, these turn out to be simpler, both in time and cost. The anomalies increase with age, complicating the treatment and the chances of success. Hence the importance of starting treatment in childhood.
Orthopedic disorders of the oral cavity affect children psychologically and physically; the functions of speech and swallowing are negatively affected. On the other hand, the facial expression of a patient with a poorly developed lower jaw is commonly known as a bird's beak, which leads to ridicule from his friends.

A fine line separates orthopedics from orthodontics, however, a wide path unites them: the well-being and health of the patient.