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Myobraces

November 12, 2014 at 4:11 pm Leave a comment

                    Myobraces – the new pre-orthodontic corrective system

In the last month I have attended two Myobrace courses and I have been most impressed by the treatment possibilities it could offer our patients.

 Over the past 25 years Myoresearch has been developing a series of trainers aimed at correcting unfavourable muscle patterns which are so often associated with malocclusions. The originator of this system is UK trained Dr Chris Farrell who worked with John Mew before moving to Australia. The designs combine a number of principles from the Frankel appliance and John Mew’s Bioboc system.

These “trainers” have undergone a gradual fine tuning and the Myobrace system now offers a range of appliances for patients aged 4 – 14 years of age. The designs of the appliances are supported by extensive research programmes and are now in use in over one hundred countries. The UK and the USA have lagged behind in this trend, possibly because both patients and parents in these countries regard fixed braces as the Gold Standard for orthodontic treatment.

However, delaying treatment until the permanent teeth have erupted has obvious drawbacks, not least the psychological implications of having unsightly teeth. Restriction of the airway can have serious side effects and low oxygenation has now been associated with Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.

This system relies on the patient wearing the appliance for one waking hour a day and during sleep. Results have shown that in some cases a second stage of fixed appliance orthodontics is not required and when it is indicated the treatment is simpler and, therefore, shorter. This will reduce the side effects of hygiene problems, root shortening and relapse.

The Myobrace system is now being taught in three universities in the USA; Linda Loma, Mount Sinai and Tufts. Myoresearch will be staging courses in the UK in 2015 and the dates will be displayed on their website: www.myoresearch.com. I firmly believe that this system is the way forward for early correction of developing malocclusions and I look forward to following the progress of its introduction here.

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