| BIOBLOC ORTHOTROPICS™ - FACIAL GROWTH GUIDANCE | ||
|
 |
As soon as the upper front teeth are in their idealized positions, a second removable appliance, the Biobloc, is used to posture the lower jaw forward into a more ideal position in the face. It fits on the upper jaw and has small plastic guides extending downward to cause the lower jaw to posture forward at rest. The child learns to wear the Biobloc 24 hours a day except for eating, vigorous sports, singing or playing a wind instrument, and brushing the teeth. Adjustments are made every few weeks to the appliance as treatment progresses.  The full correction can often be achieved in a 6-8 month timeframe, depending on the severity of the problem and the child's cooperation. As the improved rest oral posture becomes a habit, the patient can taper back from full time wear to non-school wear, nighttime wear and, ultimately, no wear. |
of conventional orthodontic treatment which merely straightens teeth. The first goal of the treatment - which is most effective for children under age 10 - is to optimize facial development with the upper and lower jaws both more ideally positioned forward in the face than with conventional treatment (or no treatment). The second goal is to correct the poor rest oral posture, which produced the unfavorable growth in the first place.
and backward movement of the upper front teeth is the first obvious sign of unfavorable facial growth, and can be easily identified by a simple measurement from the nose to the upper incisor teeth. (See "Interactive Finder") Seldom are upper front teeth actually too far foward in the face. Even when they appear to stick out (buck teeth), the teeth are usually too far back relative to the nose, cheeks and forehead. A recessed lower jaw can easily give the illusion that the upper teeth protrude (when they do not!).This fact has been known for more than a quarter century. ("Components of Class II Malocclusion in Children 8-10 Years of Age," by J MacNamara, Angle Orthodontist, July 1981) but has apparently been overlooked by most of those professionals who provide conventional treatment. If ideal facial balance is the goal, this fact cannot be overlooked, and upper teeth must be moved forward instead of pulled back!
|
The changes occur through movements and remodeling of the bones of the head. Verification of the validity of this approach is available in several forms. An article soon to be published, based on research done on a series of Dr. Hang's consecutively treated Biobloc Orthotropic™ cases,  has scientifically proven that unfavorable vertical growth can be converted to favorable horizontal growth with the above method. Improvements in the airway have been documented on the same sample of consecutively treated patients and have been published. (Click here to view article.) A comparison of facial balance in a series of identical twins with one twin being treated conventionally and one treated with Biobloc Orthotropics™ shows dramatically better facial balance with Biobloc Orthotropics™. (Click here to view article.) |