Ace the Smile Squad Challenge 2026 – Orthodontic Assistant Exam to Brighten Your Future!

The purpose of a functional appliance in orthodontics is to utilize the patient’s jaw movements to facilitate growth and alignment of the teeth and jaw. These devices are designed to interact with the natural movements of the jaw, often encouraging the proper positioning of the teeth and jaw relationships. By harnessing the forces produced by the patient's chewing and other jaw activities, functional appliances can effectively guide the development of the oral structures, making them instrumental in treating certain malocclusions or skeletal discrepancies.

Functional appliances serve to modify skeletal and dental relationships during key growth periods, enabling more predictable outcomes in dental alignment without necessitating more invasive procedures. This proactive approach allows for improvements in occlusion and potential facial aesthetics, effectively addressing issues related to jaw alignment and bite function at a developmental stage, which can reduce the need for more complex treatments later on.