Dilara Orthodontic Face Mask
Correction of mesial bite in childhood
Treatment period — from 8 monthsTo correct the bite in children in the arsenal of orthodontists there are more than a dozen types of devices for different clinical tasks. In this article, the leader of pediatric orthodontics, orthodontist Anna Stanislavovna Reznichenko, will talk in detail about the face mask for bite correction in children.
Orthodontic face mask — a design for use outside the mouth during childhood to correct a mesial bite.
Design and principle of operation of the face mask
The facemask is a vertical arch with a suborbital and frontal stop and metal hooks for securing the elastic bands. The mask is combined with an intraoral apparatus from which elastics are pulled to it. The elastics pull the upper jaw horizontally forward, stimulating its growth.
Indications for use of the face mask
Facial mask is used at the age of 6-9 years, when the patient's dentoalveolar system is in active development and growth, and at the age of 12 years and above, at the peak of growth — the last period when we can still influence the formation of the jaws without surgical intervention.
The clinical situation in which a face mask will be effective, — is a mesial bite caused by underdevelopment of the upper jaw. This bite is characterized by the following external signs:
- Reverse incisal overlap — the lower teeth protrude forward relative to the upper teeth,
- Straight overlap — the front teeth bite on top of each other,
- Chipping and erosion of teeth due to misalignment.
Advantages and disadvantages of a face mask
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Facial parameters are improved, we get a more harmonious profile
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Effectively and predictably affects jaw growth
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It is not necessary to wear it 24 hours a day, so the mask will not affect the child's social adaptation
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It may be unusual at first
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It requires cooperation with the child and compliance with the regime
Facial Mask Treatment Process
Before treatment begins, the orthodontist makes a diagnosis and treatment plan to make sure the facemask will be effective in the specific clinical case. If the indications are there, the doctor orders the appliance and the patient can choose the color.
At that time, the orthodontist orders the appliance and the patient can choose the color.
Before giving the device to the patient, the doctor selects the right height of hooks, pulls of the right strength, sets the direction of the pulls, and instructs the patient and parents in detail how to use the mask and in what mode to wear it.
Face mask
The face mask is always combined with intraoral orthodontic appliances: Marco Rosa, MARPE (jaw expansion appliance with miniscrews) or braces.
Orthodontists recommend
In our practice, one of the most effective combinations of — is a combination of a mask with the Marco Rosa maxillary expansion apparatus. Hooks are attached to the apparatus on the cheek side, to which the pull rods from the face mask are attached.
The patient wears the Marco Rosa appliance continuously – 24 hours a day, and the face mask is worn at night and for 5-6 hours a day.
The patient wears the Marco Rosa appliance continuously – 24 hours a day, and the face mask is worn at night and for 5-6 hours a day.
This way, there is expansion of the maxilla due to stretching of the palatal suture and predictable horizontal jaw growth during activation of the face mask.
The orthodontist usually completes treatment on the facemask with a slight hypercorrection — when the patient develops a saggital cleft — a horizontal gap between the upper and lower incisors. Due to muscle tone, the jaw position subsequently returns to normal and the patient obtains proper closure.
According to a controlled randomized trial of 73 patients with mesial bite, the use of a face mask at the age of 7-9 years does not completely eliminate but reduces the need for orthognathic surgery in adulthood by 3.5 times.
How long does the treatment with a face mask take?
The duration of treatment depends on the device with which the facial mask is combined and on the regularity of wearing the mask by the patient.
Treatment with the Marco Rosa device takes an average of 8-10 months.
With braces or MARPE, a facial mask is usually combined in older patients, so the treatment period is up to 12 months.
Physician's Review
The face mask — is an excellent device that we use in combination with other equipment. It can be used to effectively stimulate skeletal growth and influence facial parameters. For the specific climate of St. Petersburg, which provokes adenoids and, as a consequence, constriction of the upper jaw, treatment with the face mask is especially relevant.
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