Appliances for Children

Other orthodontic appliances besides braces are available to help correct a broad range of tooth and jaw problems in growing children--from closing up a gap to widening the jaw to make room for new teeth to grow in properly. Some of these "functional orthodontics" are fixed in place; others are removable for brushing, eating, and sleeping.

Some children require headgear to guide the development of an improperly growing upper jaw. To move the jaw, wires must connect the upper teeth to another fixed point. Since no other teeth are strong enough to serve as a fixed point, headgear is used to anchor the upper teeth to a point outside the mouth: the head or neck. Elastic is wrapped around the top of the head or the back of the neck and connects an archwire to the upper teeth.