Mandibular advancement for children: Invisalign precision wings

As we have already explained in previous articles in this blogClass II malocclusion is a malocclusion that occurs when the bite is not correct because the teeth of the lower arch are in a delayed position with respect to those of the upper arch.

According to our estimates, currently the 30% of patients who come for orthodontic assessment at our dental clinic in Murcia have this problem, which may be due to several reasons: a backward position of the jaw, a forward position of the maxilla or a combination of both.

In fact, in the most accentuated cases we can observe how these patients, who have a very small jaw or a chin in a position that is further back than normal, have a convex profileas in the following image:

The deficient growth of the jaw not only affects the dental and facial levels that we have already mentioned, but can also affect the respiratory level, as the upper airways are narrowed and can lead to sleep apnoea, among many other consequences.

And what solution can we provide from orthodontics?

Growing ages, ideally during the pubertal growth spurt, are the perfect time for an orthodontic-functional type of treatment which we call mandibular advancement and which consists, roughly speaking, of stimulating mandibular growth.

This is done by means of fixed or removable appliances that hold the jaw in a forward position for a set period of time planned in advance. In this way we take advantage of the body's natural growth to correct the position of the jaw.

Over the years there has been an enormous evolution in orthodontics, which, of course, has also affected functional orthopaedics. In particular, there have been advances in the appliances that orthodontics uses to achieve its aims. Traditionally, very bulky appliances have always been used to achieve this progress, but nowadays it has been possible to treat these cases thanks to the Invisalign system.

Invisalign precision wings

The precision wings are flaps or reliefs at the level of the molars that were introduced not so long ago, in 2019, and that allow children to be treated in a much more comfortable way than with traditional braces.

When closing the mouth, the precision wings fit together and hold the lower jaw in a more forward position. Thus, the mandible is retained in the correct position thanks to the coordination of arches and the elimination of anterior interferences while simultaneously aligning and levelling the teeth, which results in a shortening of treatment times and a dramatic increase in patient comfort during treatment.

Take a look at these images that compare the treatment used until now with the new Invisalign system.

 

As you can see, patient comfort is infinitely superior.