Removable Braces

Removable appliances can be taken out of your mouth for eating, sports, school or work. They are used either to expand the arches of teeth, to move jaws forward, to change a deep or open bite, or simply to keep teeth where they are. They are made of acrylic (plastic) and have some metallic cribs to hold onto the teeth.


Functional Appliances
Functional appliances (also called orthopedic appliances) are a type of removable braces that work on both the upper and lower jaw at the same time. Rather than actively moving jaws, functional appliances bring upper and lower jaws into a healthy position by taking advantage of biological growth and using natural muscle pressure. Using these appliances properly and at the right time can easily bring a weak lower jaw forward by 10mm. A successful treatment with functional appliances can often avoid extractions of permanent teeth or even later jaw surgeries.


Post Growth Jaw Movement
If you missed the natural growth spurt for treatment of misaligned jaws there might be a possibility to align the jaws later. With an appliances, such as Herbst Appliances, one can under the right circumstances achieve significant forward movement of the lower jaw up to around age 30. The functional appliance is then not removable and attached to a fixed brace for the course of treatment.