Functional appliances
A functional appliance is an appliance that helps to correct jaw deformities in growing individuals. These appliances use the forces of the muscles to control and redirect the growth and hence are also known as ‘Myofunctional Appliances’. These appliances work only if the patient is still growing and they do not work if the growth is completed in the patient.
Removable functional appliances:
These are most commonly used functional appliances. These are used when the patient is in earlier stages of growth. They can be used to improve the growth in the jaws where the growth is deficient or control and limit the growth in over developed jaws. They can also be used to redirect the direction of growth of the jaws.
The most commonly used removable functional appliances are
1) Twin block
2) Frankel functional regulator appliance
3) Activator
4) Bionator
The functional appliances help to correct only the skeletal problems and the patient may require a follow up with fixed appliances to treat the malocclusion in the dentition. These appliances are worn by the patient for a particular number of hours daily as advised by the orthodontist depending on the type of appliance. The duration of the entire functional appliance treatment lasts for 8 months to 1 year and is follower by fixed appliance therapy.
Fixed functional appliances:
These are functional appliances that are given when the patient is at the later stages of growth. These appliances are fixed and cannot be removed by the patient. Most of these appliances are given along with fixed braces in place. Like the removable functional appliances, they help in altering the growth of the jaws although to a lesser extent than the removable functional appliance, since these appliances are given at the end stages of growth. There are a wide variety of fixed functional appliances available; some among them are Forsus, Herbst appliance, Jasper Jumper, Power-scope etc.