Have you been advised that dental surgery is the only option to fix your bite? Are you holding off until you are required to undergo orthognathic jaw surgery? Suppose you choose YES to any of these inquiries, then you may be eligible for non-surgical functional orthodontic treatment using the MEAW (multiloop edgewise archwire) or the GEAW (gum metal edgewise archwire).
The craniofacial complex is seen by conventional medicine and orthodontics as a static structure with a limited capacity for adaptation after maturity is attained. But mounting evidence suggests that the human craniofacial complex is dynamic in nature (just like any other body portion), continually responding to the internal and external environment by changing and compensating to function and support life.
It’s important to highlight that a tiny proportion of patients with severe facial discord may not be the best choice. However, for the majority of patients, MEAW braces in Los Gatos or GEAW functional orthodontics. The treatment is comparable to that of traditional braces and results in a reversal of facial disharmony either alone or alongside dental restorations, physical therapy, and myofunctional therapy. The best part is that treatment costs are far lower than when undergoing orthodontic therapy combined with jaw surgery because there is no jaw surgery required.
THE HUMAN FACE
Genetic characteristics and the expression of the craniofacial complex’s environmental adaptation and compensation make up the human facial shape. The lower jaw, often known as the mandible, is the only one of the twenty-two bones that make up the face and skull that lacks a natural capacity for expansion. Teeth must initially erupt in order for the mandible to expand, pushing it down and allowing bone to grow over the condyle (most upper part of the mandible). Simultaneously, the mandible must rotate upward to close the impending open bite. Our dentition needs to be positioned so the mandible may move forward when the lips are strong enough to rotate it.
Due to the complexity and sensitivity of the human facial growth mechanism, about half of all people, regardless of ethnicity or gender, experience some degree of facial discord. Furthermore, in 20% of these people (or around 10% of the population), the degree of the established malocclusion would be much beyond the scope of a traditional straight wire orthodontic procedure, and it would likely be advised to use orthodontics in conjunction with jaw surgery.
