It is hardly a secret to anyone that a big smile showing your teeth creates an appearance of confidence, opens many doors, helps tackle difficult life situation, and ultimately improves your own mood. However, many people are reluctant to use this free and very effective tool in their everyday lives because of incorrect dentition or other tooth anomalies.
Not very long ago, correcting misaligned teeth meant a lot of difficulty. However, modern, comfortable and discreet treatments that open up new therapeutic options for patients have appeared in recent years.
Today, with timely treatment, having straight, good-looking teeth since childhood, without braces, is a reality! Specialists at the “Zobu feja” clinic would like to tell you about this gentle, yet effective method: the orthodontic trainer.
What is an orthodontic trainer?
An orthodontic trainer is an elastic silicon mouth tray that can straighten the child’s growing teeth, and properly align permanent teeth when they erupt. A trainer can help eliminate unhealthy habits, such as tongue or thumb-sucking, or excess muscle pressure in the maxillofacial area, which leads to incorrect dentition in children. The purpose of these devices is to encourage a correct position of the tongue, and promote the use of the muscles of the mouth, training them. In addition to creating correct dentition and straightening teeth, the use of a trainer helps develop correct breathing through the nose, and speech in children.
When does one need a trainer?
Your child may be recommended an orthodontic trainer if the following indications are observed:
- Frontal teeth pressed against each other
- Open occlusion
- Distal occlusion
- Bad habits: thumb-sucking, incorrect tongue position when swallowing, speech problems.
- Incorrect position of the lower jaw
Orthodontic trainers help deal with these problems in early development, at a very young age when using braces is still impossible.
When should you begin using a trainer?
We recommend starting orthodontic treatment with a trainer as soon as the child starts losing their front baby teeth, which usually takes place at about the age of five.
It is worth noting here that there are two periods in the development of a child’s jaws: one, between the age of five and seven, when you can stimulate the jaws to develop correctly, and it is easy to do (using a trainer), and two, between the age of ten and twelve, and you can still adjust jaw development using gentler methods. If you don’t handle the problems by that age, surgery may have to be done later.
How do you start using a trainer?
The treatment begins with one dentist appointment, which includes a consult and a panoramic radiograph (orthopantomogram). A correct-size trainer is selected individually for every patient. The child and the parents are explained in detail how to use and care for the trainer. Trainers have the advantage of being standard items, with a broad range of sizes, which eliminates the need for any additional dental visits to scan the jaws, or lab work.
What are the benefits of a trainer?
The main reason to use an orthodontic trainer is the high success rate of the treatment: 90 percent, if started at an early age.
Also:
- You only have to wear a trainer for 2 hours a day (when sleeping).
- Trainers correct the upper and the lower jaw, as well as occlusion, at the same time.
- There are no eating restrictions.
- Trainers do not obstruct oral hygiene.
- The teeth align correctly as soon as they start developing, and stay straight for your entire life.
Are there any contraindications to the use of a trainer?
Using a trainer is not indicated if the child has ORT disorders, because trainers require breathing through the nose.
It is also important to note that regular use is critical in achieving success with this treatment. Because you can remove the trainer, the child can easily forget to use it every day, and it is the parent’s duty to keep track of this.
If you see that you child’s growing teeth are misaligned, or there are a few baby teeth left, contact us at Zobu Feja, and we will help the child get a beautiful smile and straight teeth, as they sleep.
Bērnu zobi pirms un pēc korekcijas ar Zobu Ortodontisko treineri, bērnu zobārstniecība, Foto: Zobu feja