DENTOFACIAL ORTHOPEDICS
Guiding your child's growth and development
You may have noticed that our orthodontist, Dr. Godley, specializes in “orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics." While orthodontics refers to managing tooth movement, dentofacial orthopedics refers to guiding healthy growth and development of the face and jaws.
Facial growth and development occurs mostly during childhood, which is the reason why kids and pre-teens are often the best candidates for receiving dentofacial orthopedic therapy.
Treatment with an orthopedic appliance depends on what imbalances are present and what the treatment goals are. Sometimes orthopedic treatments may be needed prior to orthodontic treatment, but often the two are accomplished at the same time.
Dentofacial orthopedic appliances help in guiding the growth of the facial bones and jaws. They can be used redirect growth and address a variety of jaw deformities and imbalances. For example, sometimes jaws do not grow wide enough and form very narrow. Jaws sometimes do not grow as far forward as they need to, as in a retrusive lower jaw. In other instances, jaws can grow too much, as in a protrusive lower jaw.
Examples of appliances that might be used include the Herbst appliance, Mara appliance, Twin Block, Reverse Pull Facemask, as well as Maxillary Palatal Expanders.
Because our orthodontist is skilled in all areas of orthodontics, she is able to diagnose misalignments in the teeth, jaws, and facial structure. Dr. Godley will develop a treatment plan that integrates both orthodontic and dentofacial orthopedic treatments.