Functional Education (functional orthodontics)

Functional orthodontics is the combination of using an orthodontic appliance and a number of exercises to help improve facial aesthetics, helps prevent further dental treatment in the future such as extractions, gives improved stability of the teeth in the long term, helps with normal bodily functions like breathing, swallowing and chewing.

It also helps prevent teeth from breaking in the future!

This is done by not only using an orthodontic appliance but with:

– Case selection
– Early intervention
– Patients input
– Dedicated Dental Team
– Motivation
– Therapeutic Goals

At SmileBox, we can help you or your child with your orthodontic needs using Functional Education.

Contact us today to find out more.

Functional Education (functional orthodontics)

Functional orthodontics is the combination of using an orthodontic appliance and a number of exercises to help improve facial aesthetics, helps prevent further dental treatment in the future such as extractions, gives improved stability of the teeth in the long term, helps with normal bodily functions like breathing, swallowing and chewing.

It also helps prevent teeth from breaking in the future!

This is done by not only using an orthodontic appliance but with:

– Case selection
– Early intervention
– Patients input
– Dedicated Dental Team
– Motivation
– Therapeutic Goals

At SmileBox, we can help you or your child with your orthodontic needs using Functional Education.

Contact us today to find out more.

HERE ARE THE 6 KEY POINTS OF FUNCTIONAL EDUCATION

Unlocking the TMJ’s with the Posterior Inter-molar Foil

Provide Training for Correct Nasal Breathing

Repositioning the Tongue to its Correct Place

Providing a Lip Bumper to work on the Mentolabial Fold

Reshaping of the Dental Arch Form

Control Midlines and Guide the Eruption of Permanent Teeth

What are the main objectives of Functional Education?

Functional Education aims to balance the lips, cheeks and tongue, correct the breathing and swallowing technique.

What orthodontic problems can EF fix?

Here are 4 common orthodontic problems EF can fix/prevent

Overcrowding

Overcrowding is a common teeth misalignment which occurs due to lack of space in the oral cavity for the teeth. This makes the teeth grow to be crooked and/or overlap with each other. This creates an overcrowded atmosphere in the mouth and can lead to poor oral hygiene due to the inability to clean the teeth efficiently.

Fun Dental Fact: Crowding doesn’t happen because our teeth are too big for our jaws, it’s because our jaws are too small for our teeth.

It is normal to have a slight overlap between the upper and lower front teeth. However, in a deep overbite, the upper jaw has a large overlap that causes the upper teeth to bite down on the gums of the bottom teeth. This usually occurs when someone has a weak chin that affects the shape of their face and jaw. Deep overbites can lead to clenching and grinding of the teeth, which can cause discomfort and headaches.

This is where there is spacing (gaps) present between the teeth. These spaces usually appear between the two upper or lower front teeth – this is known as a Diastema. A diastema usually happens due to reasons such as: 

  • A mismatch of the size of the jawbone and the teeth.
  • A high labial frenum attachment -if you have a high labial frenum attachment then you could be suitable for a frenectomy and then orthodontics afterwards to resolve this.
  • Missing or undersized teeth – when some teeth are missing or smaller than others this can cause a diastema to develop. This is common when the upper lateral incisors are missing.
  • Thumb sucking as a child is also a common reason for spacing in between teeth and diastema, this is due to the teeth pulling forward from the unnatural force.

A diastema isn’t seen as a ‘dental problem’ they are usually harmless and need no correction. Some people see a diastema as a characteristic that adds personality to their smile, like Madonna for example.

However, with dental spacing, we usually hear complaints of food becoming stuck in between the teeth, or in some cases, people don’t like the aesthetics of spacing or diastema. In that case, orthodontic treatment can be done to correct this.

This is when the upper teeth bite down on the insides of the lower teeth, this can also be known as a negative overjet. Common dental complaints we hear that relate to a crossbite are “my chin protrudes out”, “my front teeth bite on each other” or “I can’t bite on my back teeth properly”.

A crossbite can happen on either side of the jaw and it affects both the front and back teeth. Crossbites usually occur due to a dental or skeletal problem, or both. These can be caused by habits, bone structure, airway issues, or genetics. Untreated crossbites can affect more than just the teeth, they can cause issues in the jaw. It makes the jaw muscles work at an uneven rate, which causes temporomandibular joint disorder, it can cause headaches and pain in the jaw, neck, or shoulders.

frequently asked ef questions

Functional Education can start from the age of 3.

EF Line is a range of orthodontic appliances that can be used at varying stages of dental growth.

The main purpose is to intercept dysfunctions at an early stage and correct them using a removable orthodontic appliance alongside muscle and breathing exercises.

EF Packages start at 25,000 THB.

This includes a full examination, panoramic x-ray, cephalogram x-ray, hand-wrist x-ray, 2 EF Line Appliances, treatment including- sealants, PRR, LCCF, serial extraction, fluoride varnish, and 1 year of follow up care instructions and support.

Any additional EF appliances would be 5,000 THB per appliance.

EF Line is manufactured in France and Approved by an Independent Laboratory.
It is made without:

– Phthalates Bisphenol A
– Alimentary Raw Material

There is a mint aroma to the EF Line orthodontic appliance.

EF improves symptoms of allergies as it corrects the breathing technique from nasal to mouth breathing.

The tongue position changes from filling the oral cavity to resting behind the lower teeth, this allows air to enter the mouth properly.

For the best results, it’s important to wear the EF orthodontic appliance for 2 hours during the day.

However, this can be split into two separate hours. For example it could be worn for 1 hour watching television and 1 hour commuting to work/school.

The appliance also must be worn during the night, so once the teeth have been brushed you would insert the appliance and sleep in them. This is a vital period for your orthodontic treatment, as it is during this time when the growth of the teeth occurs the most.

If the second molar is already erupted and fully formed then growth modification is difficult to do. EF Line would not work.

However, EF can still be used with orthodontic treatment in adults for joint position modification. But not for growth modification.

We use the EF Line selection guide to help determine which appliance is best suited to you or your child’s orthodontic needs.

We need to determine the biological age of the bones to understand the eruption cycle of the teeth. We can do this by taking a radiograph of the hand and wrist. This radiograph is an effective tool to assess biological age.

What are the different types of EF Line Appliances?

EF Kid is an orthodontic appliance intended to intercept any dysmorphia  as early as 3 years of age.

It supports the child’s facial and dental growth, intercepts bad habits from a young age, contributes to stopping thumb sucking and pacifiers and also restores correct nasal breathing.

Features of EF Kid

  • Universal one size fits all (ages 3-4)
  • The arch size allows treatment until the eruption of the 6th year molar
  • Anterior tag for lip contact
  • Vents for the circulation of saliva and for suppressing the sensation of suffocation
  • Comes in 3 colours to choose from pink, blue and clear

Indications of requiring EF Kid

  • For all Dental Classes (later, patients could be redirected to another more specific appliance in the range)
  • For primary and early mixed dentitions
  • Corrects crossbites, open bites, deep bites

EF Start is especially adapted to pre-orthodontic treatment in the deciduous or early mixed dentition stage in children starting from the age of 4. 

EF Start acts on facial and dental growth whilst correcting bad habits that have an effect on swallowing, breathing, and posture.

Features of EF Start

  • 3 to 3 universal upper and lower indents for aligning and centering the midlines
  • Comes in 3 colours to choose from pink, blue and clear

Indications of requiring EF Start

  • Treatment in the deciduous or early mixed dentition
  • Class I and mild Class II cases
  • Crossbites correction (anterior and posterior)
  • Correction of Class I deep-bites, open-bites, cross-bites, and crowding
  • Midline Centering

EF T Slim is indicated in pre-orthodontic phases in patients with mixed dentition starting from the age of 6. 

Its unique features offer many corrective abilities including midline correction specific to EFT T Slim, whilst correcting bad habits that have an effect on swallowing, breathing, and posture.

Features of EF T Slim

  • 3 to 3 universal upper and lower indents for aligning the midline and center the mandible
  • Comes in 3 colours to choose from red, green, yellow, blue and clear

Indications of requiring EF T Slim

  • Mixed dentition
  • Class I and mild Class II cases
  • Space maintaining when deciduous cuspids have been extracted 
  • Space maintaining when there is premature loss of deciduous teeth
  • Correction of Class I deep-bites, open-bites, cross-bites, and crowding

EF Guide corrects mild dental malpositions in the Class I division. In addition to the functional corrections of the other EF appliances, it also corrects the midlines.

This appliance is available in various different sizes, therefore we can customise the size of the appliance to tailor to each of our patients dental needs.

EF Guide Features

  • 4 to 4 upper and lower indents for retention and eruption guide
  • Only available in one colour – Clear
  • Available in 8 sizes ranging from 0-7

Indications of requiring EF Slim

  • Patients age 12 where molars and bicuspids are present
  • Class I and Class II cases with controlled midline or previously treated with EF appliance
  • Finishing functional orthodontic treatment
  • For retention after fixed appliance orthodontic treatment
  • As an eruption guide

EF Class II 2 Steps is the first in line treatment choice for patients with an overjet of 10mm.

This appliance encourages reduction of these overjets. Once reduction starts to take place, you would then transition to another EF appliance such as the EF Class II Slim, Standard or Large for complete correction of the overjet.

EF Class II 2 Steps Features

  • Built in 6mm anterior – posterior offset between the arches
  • Available in 5 colours – red, blue, green, yellow, clear
  • Thicker bumper material allows the muscle to return to a normal thickness in the lower lip and mentolabial fold

Indications of requiring EF Class II 2 Steps 

  • Overjets of 10mm
  • Prevents the incisors over growing ‘rabbit teeth’
  • Increases comfort for the patient
  • Helps soft tissues physiologically to stretch, especially in the labiomental fold area

EF Class II Slim is a specific appliance used for interceptive phases and providing early treatment. It is used to retrain the tongue, lips, and cheeks.

It is also used for tooth pre-alignment and to unlock the mandible. This appliance is ideal for treating deep bites and open bites in the Class II division (up to 6mm).

EF Class II Slim Features

  • Available in 5 colours – red, blue, green, yellow, clear
  • Short bumpers for patient comfort
  • Reduced tongue ramp

Indications of requiring EF Class II Slim

  • Mixed dentition
  • Deep bites and open bites in the Class II Division

EF Class III Standard is a soft functional appliance, this is used for interceptive treatments in mixed dentition. It is used to retrain the tongue, lips, and cheeks. It is also used to unlock the mandible. 

EF Class III Standard Features

  • Deeper bumpers, this allows the muscle to return to a normal thickness in the lower lip and mentolabial fold
  • Higher buccal shields for buccalised laterals and ectopic cuspids
  • Available in 5 colours – red, blue, green, yellow, clear
  • Deep tongue ramp with a progressive protraction plan that gradually corrects Class II cases up to a 6 mm overjet

Indications of requiring EF Class III Standard

  • Severe deep bite Class II cases (over 6mm)
  • Open bite Class II cases (over 6mm)

EF Class III Petit is designed to treat Class III malocclusions in primary dentition. It prevents anterior sliding of the mandible and trees the premaxilla. It has a raised lip bumper to act on the perioral musculature.

EF Class III Petit Features

  • Maxillary anterior sliding range, this is to facilitate the bite jumping
  • Raised maxillary bumpers with a 2 mm overjet between arches
  • Available in 3 colours – pink, blue, clear

Indications of requiring EF Class III Petit

  • Class III in primary dentition

EF Class III Standard is used for treating Class III malocclusion in mixed dentition. It prevents anterior sliding of the mandible and trees the premaxilla. It has a raised lip bumper to act on the perioral musculature.

EF Class III Standard Features

  • Maxillary anterior sliding range, this is to facilitate the bite jumping
  • Raised maxillary bumpers with a 2 mm overjet between arches
  • Available in 3 colours – pink, blue, clear

Indications of requiring EF Class III Standard

  • Class III in mixed dentition

EF Braces is a device that is made to be worn over a fixed appliance. They can be worn by adults, children and teenagers. Whether in mixed dentition or permanent dentition.

EF Braces Features

  • Upper and lower bracket slo
  • Clear in colour
  • Distal clearance for buccal tubes and lingual appliances
  • Progressive tongue ramp

Indications of requiring EF Braces

  • For use before or during orthodontic treatment with a fixed appliance
  • For early stages of tooth alignment
  • Mixed and/or permanent dentition in children, teenagers and adults
  • To protect the mucosa and functional education in early stages of fixed appliance orthodontics
  • TMJ protection in sports related activities
contact us today
Fissure Sealants FAQs