Functional Orthodontics
It’s more than just straight teeth! With functional orthodontics at The Flossery in Waltham, we blend aesthetics and function to create a healthy smile based on the principals of the root cause of WHY the teeth moved and finding the most stable position to prevent further movement.
Clear aligner therapy can:
- Improve smile aesthetics
- Relieve jaw pain
- Prevent cracking and chipping teeth
- Stop gum recession
- Help you breathe better
- Help you stop snoring
- Manage gum disease by making teeth easier to clean
Did you know? Our early ancestors had perfectly straight teeth! We use those principles for form and function to create a beautiful, healthy smile, putting your teeth where nature intended them to be.
Left: prehistoric skull with straight teeth and a wide arch. Right: modern day arch is more narrow and the arch is more narrow.
Early Orthodontics
At The Flossery, we believe prevention is best. If a child is not sleeping or breathing well because of an oral issue, early intervention is key. A child’s brain is almost fully formed by 5 years old. Ensuring proper breathing through early treatment can help with growth during those important years. We happily evaluate children for airway and breathing issues from one year old.
Our special early orthodontics program helps prevent future issues with early intervention from toddler years. While conventional orthodontics may start treating children at the age of 10, we believe in working with your child’s growth from a young age for a more stable and health focused outcome.
At The Flossery, we focus on firm and function, not just straight teeth. That means that our team focuses on the cause of crooked teeth to help prevent relapse. This is done through myofunctional therapy, the art
of strengthening the muscles of the mouth to help straighten teeth, develop the jaws, speak, breathe and chew better. Our comprehensive approach evaluates all orthodontic patients for muscle imbalances, tongue ties, and jaw development to ensure a healthy mouth for a healthy life.
More about our myofunctional therapy approach
Are you pregnant or have a newborn? Want to know the tools to help avoid airway and orthodontic issues in your baby? Ask us about our mommy and baby oral health coaching program!
Airway Focused Orthodontics
At The Flossery, we do not just put teeth in a straight line. We take a full approach to orthodontics which includes improving breathing. For example, the roof of your mouth shares the same borders as the floor of your nose. By making more room in your mouth, we can help with breathing by making more room in your nose!
We also know that the teeth are the house in which the tongue sits. By making the dental arches bigger, we are also making more room for the tongue to help with breathing. This life changing approach to braces can help you not only get the smile of your dreams, but can help you live a healthier life as well.
How can we keep teeth straight?
Teeth move where there are no opposing forces to keep them in place. This can be from weak tongue, cheek and lip muscles. As a functional dental practice that focuses on the root cause, we can use myofunctional therapy to help retrain these muscles and help them keep teeth in their correct place.
Orthodontics for Jaw Pain
Our approach to orthodontics at The Flossery can help you with jaw pain. By placing the jaw and the teeth in a stable and correct location, we can help you find relief from your jaw pain, headaches, and teeth grinding.
Orthodontics for Recession
At The Flossery, we evaluate your concerns to determine the true cause of your oral health problems. Many patients suffer from tooth recession. There are many causes of tooth recession. Before rushing to get a gum graft, we recommend a thorough exam so that the recession does not continue.
One major cause of gum recession could be from an even bite. When teeth do not contact each other in an unhealthy way, it could cause teeth to break or gums to recede. Think of your teeth as a nail in the wall. If the nail is placed directly into the wall (ie: a tooth properly straightened in the jaw bone) it will absorb the forces of a hammer well.
If the nail is placed sideways or at an angle and it is hit with a hammer, it will likely bend. When teeth are in a healthy position in the bone, they can function better and stay healthy. Call us at 781-894-0500 for a comprehensive evaluation to stop your recession today!
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