What is a twin block and why do I need to wear one?
Sometimes the growth of your bottom jaw is a little behind the development of the top giving the appearance of the top teeth sticking out. Before we are able to straighten your teeth, we need to make sure your top and bottom teeth align in the correct position and to do this, we use a removable brace called a twin block.
The twin block is made of two pieces, one that fits on your upper teeth and one that fits your lower teeth. There is a ramp made of acrylic that causes your bottom jaw to slide forward as you close your mouth which encourages forward growth in the bottom jaw. Although the twin block can feel a little bulky at first, it does a great job in correcting the relationship between your top and bottom teeth. But for the twin block to work, it needs to be worn almost full time and only removed for eating, teeth cleaning and for playing contact sports.
The aim is to wear the twin block as much as you can, that way, we can start the rest of your treatment to straighten your teeth sooner. Speech can be a little challenging when you first get a twin block but with a little practice, you will soon get used to it and not think about wearing it. Wearing the twin block part time does not work as effectively as full time which will mean it will either take a lot longer or not work at all. If we are unable to correct the alignment between your top and bottom teeth, we may not be able to straighten your teeth and give you a great smile.
We achieve some super results with a twin block and this is almost entirely down to the great work our patients put into wearing it as we have asked them to. If you have any questions about twin blocks as part of your treatment, just ask any of the team.