A functional appliance is a brace designed to alter and modify the jaws’ growth and the teeth’ position. There are many types of functional appliances; the most common one that is sued in Ireland and the UK is the Twin-Block
The Twin Block works by positioning the lower jaw forward and pulling the upper teeth back to reduce severe dental protrusion that cannot be reduced with braces alone. Other
functional appliance types correct underbites in young children by bringing the lower jaw back and the upper jaw forward.
I am particularly interested in this orthodontics field. I published two papers on Twin-Blocks and Class II malocclusions in the European Journal of Orthodontics and the Dental Update Journal.
https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/denu.2021.48.7.579
https://academic.oup.com/ejo/article/40/5/512/4781654
With the Twin-Block appliance, the reported success rate is around 80-85%. The failure is mainly due to poor wearing compliance or the lack of innate favourable growth. If the treatment is unsuccessful, alternative options may involve using fixed functional appliances such as Herbst, dental extractions, temporary anchorage devices (TADs) or jaw surgery.
Treatment with a combined orthodontic and surgical (orthognathic) approach
In less than 5% of orthodontic patients, the problem is too severe for braces and other axillaries to achieve an optimal outcome. If a patient is unwilling to accept a treatment outcome compromise, then orthognathic surgery is indicated.
If you have any concerns regarding your facial profile or asymmetry and want to discuss treatment options, please contact me for a consultation.
The British Orthodontic Society have compiled handy resources for a patient considering the orthognathic treatment route, which is worth checking.
https://www.bos.org.uk/Your-Jaw-Surgery
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