Before	After

This case will always be special to us, as it serves as a reminder of how early treatment can easily improve a young girl’s quality of life. This 9 year old girl had presented to my office for a dental cleaning. As we examined her further, we discovered that her jaw joints were very painful. In fact, her ‘bad bite’ was actually causing her TMJ (TemporoMandibular Joint) problem. She didn’t recognize her jaw joints were a problem because she didn’t know how it should feel! After 9 months of early treatment with a removable Twin Block appliance, her mother reported that she had a better appetite, better posture, and overall straighter teeth.

In the ‘before’ photos you can see that she had a receded chin, a deep overbite (ie. lower front teeth are barely visible), and protruding lateral incisors. The Twin Block acted as a ‘jaw trainer’ to teach her how to centre her lower jaw in a healthier position. Almost immediately, her jaw joints became pain free and she developed an ideal overbite (ie. upper front teeth cover the lower front teeth by 2mm). Most importantly, her profile became much more harmonious (ie. her chin became more ‘in-line’ with her upper lip).

Courtesy of Dr. Brian Yim DDS
For more information on ‘Braces’, visit the Orthodontics page.