Functional braces can help guide jaw development, improve the way the teeth bite together and support a healthier, more balanced smile for growing children.
Understanding Functional Braces
Functional braces, used for young patients, are a removable type of brace. They are used to correct the way your child’s upper and lower teeth fit over each other.
These functional braces are worn on the upper and lower teeth at the same time and removed only for cleaning. A functional appliance may be used to correct your child’s protruding upper or lower front teeth. They can also improve the way molar teeth bite together as well as improve your child’s facial profile.
How Functional Treatment Works
This type of treatment is used to help our young patients improve jaw relationships and is not used to align teeth. As a result, functional braces are usually used as a first stage of your child’s orthodontic treatment. The second stage of treatment is the alignment of the teeth with fixed braces. The final result is a well-aligned bite and straight teeth, which help maintain proper chewing, clear speech, and dental health.
Caring for Functional Braces
If your child has functional braces, here are some tips for taking care of them:
Only remove the braces for cleaning purposes. You can brush the braces with your regular toothbrush and toothpaste whenever you brush your teeth. You should brush the teeth ideally after each meal. Consider a travel brush at school or work so that you can brush after lunch. Use a fluoride mouthwash or brush with a fluoride gel last thing at night after brushing your teeth.
You can find more information on Children’s Orthodontics here.
Why Choose Us
We provide personalised functional brace treatment to help guide jaw development, improve the way your child’s teeth bite together and support a healthier foundation for their future smile.
Every child develops differently, so we carefully assess their bite and jaw relationship before recommending treatment.
Functional braces are designed to help improve the relationship between the upper and lower jaws as your child grows.
Treatment can help improve the way the upper and lower teeth fit together for a healthier bite.
Functional braces are used during a child's development to support healthy jaw growth and orthodontic progress.
Functional treatment can form the first stage of orthodontic care before further treatment is used to align the teeth.
Our team provides clear guidance to help you and your child understand how to wear and care for functional braces.
Your Questions, Answered
Find answers to common questions about functional braces, how they work and how they can support your child’s developing teeth and jaws.
Functional braces are removable orthodontic appliances designed to help improve the relationship between the upper and lower teeth and jaws.
Functional braces are commonly used for young patients whose teeth and jaws are still developing.
Functional braces primarily help improve jaw relationships and the way the teeth bite together. Fixed braces may be used later to align the teeth.
Your orthodontist will provide specific instructions, but functional braces are generally worn regularly and removed only when necessary for cleaning.
A functional appliance may be used to help correct protruding upper or lower front teeth and improve the overall bite.
The braces should be cleaned regularly using a toothbrush and toothpaste, following the cleaning advice provided by your orthodontic team.
In some cases, fixed braces may be used as a second stage of treatment to align the teeth after functional treatment.
You can book an appointment with the orthodontic team to discuss your child's teeth, bite and whether functional braces may be suitable.
Take the first step towards improving your child's bite and supporting healthy jaw development. Our experienced team can assess your child's needs and discuss whether functional braces are the right treatment option.
Patient Stories
We’re proud to care for patients across Hampstead and beyond. Here’s what they have to say about their experience at our dental practice.
From the moment I walked in, the team made me feel comfortable and at ease. The dental examination was thorough and reassuring.
Friendly staff, flexible appointment times, and a very professional dentist. I finally feel confident about my dental health.
The practice is clean, modern, and welcoming. Everything was explained clearly, and I never felt rushed.
I’m usually nervous about dental visits, but the team was incredibly kind and patient. Highly recommended.
Your dental health is important to us.Whether you need advice, an appointment, or emergency care,our dedicated team is always ready to help with compassion and expertise.Expect a response from us within 24 hours — because your smile deserves timely care and attention.
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Providing trusted dental care for families and individuals — because every smile matters to us always, with comfort and compassion.
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