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How Myobrace® Treatment Works
Poor myofunctional ('myo' meaning muscle) habits are evident long before all permanent teeth are present, which means that treatment of the causes can begin much earlier than originally thought, sometimes as early as three years of age. Waiting until all permanent teeth have come through to begin treatment with braces can unfortunately lead to irreversible damage affecting not only the teeth, but also overall health and development.
Myobrace® treatment focuses on correcting the poor breathing and oral habits responsible for poor development, allowing the jaws and teeth to naturally become straighter, often without the need for braces.
Mouth breathing causes a domino effect. As the mouth opens, the tongue drops from the roof of the mouth where it is supposed to be resting to drive development. As the tongue determines shape and size, this causes the upper jaw to become narrow and V-shaped instead of rounded. Swallowing is also affected as the muscles compensate for the incorrect tongue positioning with a 'reverse' swallow. Growth is restricted with each swallow as the lips, cheeks and tongue all continually push against the teeth and jaws.
The Myobrace®System consists of removable appliances that are issued by our experienced practitioners depending on the child’s age and type of orthodontic problem. They have specific design features that target these poor oral habits, while also exerting light forces to help align teeth and widen the jaws so they can grow to their full and intended size. The Myobrace® appliances are to be worn for an hour each day and overnight while sleeping to successfully retrain dysfunctional habits.
Myobrace® treatment starts with habit correction and works through a series of appliances to correct the causes of orthodontic problems and align the teeth as the jaws are developing. Treatment can begin as soon as the poor myofunctional habits are recognised, however, older children will require extra effort as their rate of growth has slowed and have had more time for the incorrect habits and wrong growth patterns to establish. As habit correction requires putting in the work, if you are willing to do this every day, excellent results can be achieved!
There are typically four stages of treatment: habit correction, arch development, dental alignment and retention.
In addition, Myobrace®Activities are taught by our friendly team of educators to help children understand how to change their habits in a fun and easy to comprehend way. The activities, performed twice daily in conjunction with wearing the Myobrace® appliance, are also designed to correct myofunctional habits sequentially by teaching children to breathe through their nose, rest their tongue in the roof of the mouth, swallow correctly, and habitually use the muscles of their lips and cheeks correctly.
As well as aligning the teeth, jaws and improving facial development, Myobrace® treatment can provide additional health benefits by preventatively addressing issues relating to breathing dysfunctions and jaw joint damage before they fully develop, allowing your child to reach their full genetic potential.
It is not always possible to achieve all of these goals. Success of treatment is heavily dependent on the patient's compliance to Myobrace® treatment, their biological ability to change habits, as well as growth patterns. Generally, the earlier treatment is started, the faster and higher the level of success is able to be achieved. Good compliance allows for the best results in growing children aged 3-15 years.
For patients with an underlying airway or breathing related issue, Myosa® treatment may be offered. More information about Myosa® can be found on the What is Myosa®? section of this website.