Dental Headgear in Reverse

Patient Selection

Patients who have a family history of having a flat or retrusive upper jaw or a strong/protrusive lower jaw are candidates. Children who have inherited this trait already show a tendency for this type of skeletal structure between the ages of 7 and 10. Doctors Abdoney and Cronauer have had specialty training on how to diagnose this type of growth using a cephalometric x-ray, which is taken at the office. Untreated, these growth traits often create severe bite problems, some of which can only be corrected through jaw surgery if they are corrected later in life.

Benefits

Promoting the forward growth of the upper jaw in children who have a tendency for excessive lower jaw growth or insufficient forward growth of the upper jaw is the ideal long term treatment for these issues. However, these types of jaw growth problems are unpredictable in their severity. Fortunately, the likelihood for requiring surgery for this correction is reduced with successful face mask treatment. This doesn’t mean that the future need for surgery is eliminated, but rather that all possible efforts to prevent the need for surgery have been explored.