Early orthodontic assessment & Myobrace
Understand your child’s developing teeth and bite, and whether treatment is needed now or later. Myobrace is one of the early orthodontic options offered by the clinic.
Myobrace is a series of removable appliances a child wears for an hour or two during the day and then overnight. It works on the habits behind crooked teeth — mouth breathing, tongue posture and swallowing pattern — rather than on the teeth alone, and it uses no wires or brackets. It can be used from as young as four.
Is this your child?
Myobrace is aimed at the habits that shape how teeth and jaws develop, so the signs are often things you notice at home rather than in the mouth. It may be worth an assessment if:
- Your child breathes through their mouth rather than their nose
- They snore, or sleep with their mouth open
- Their tongue rests low, or pushes forward when they swallow
- Thumb-sucking has carried on past five or six
- Permanent teeth are coming through crowded or out of line
- Their jaw shifts to one side when they bite down
How it works at the clinic
- 01A full examinationThe orthodontist examines your child’s teeth and jaws and establishes whether Myobrace is suitable at all. Plenty of assessments end in monitoring rather than an appliance.
- 02A plan you both understandIf it is suitable, you get a plan written for your child — how to use the appliance, and any exercises that go with it.
- 03FittingYour child is fitted with the appliance and shown how to wear and look after it, along with practical ways to keep the routine going at home.
- 04ReviewsRegular follow-up visits check progress and adjust the plan. They are also where any question you have gets answered.
What Myobrace is doing
The appliances are removable and made from soft, flexible material, so there are no metal wires or brackets to rub. Your child wears one for one to two hours during the day and then overnight while sleeping. It comes out for meals, and for anything to drink other than water.
What it works on is the habit rather than the tooth. It guides the tongue to rest in the right place, encourages breathing through the nose rather than the mouth, and corrects the swallowing pattern. Those three things influence how the teeth come through and how the jaws develop, which is why the appliance is aimed at them rather than at moving individual teeth.
Myochew is a related early option, similar to Myomunchee, available for children from around two years old. Whether either is right for your child is a question for an assessment rather than for a website.
Why early — and when early is not the answer
A young, growing jaw is far easier to guide than a finished one, and that is the whole argument for looking early. It lets the orthodontist spot a bite problem while it is still easy to correct, see crowding before it worsens, and pick up a habit that is affecting how the teeth and jaws are developing.
Not every child needs early treatment, and most do not. It is worth doing where there is a clear, specific benefit to acting while the child is still growing — a crossbite where the jaw shifts sideways to bite down, an underbite, upper front teeth that stick out far enough to be at risk of a knock, crowding severe enough that permanent teeth cannot come through, a baby tooth lost early, or a habit doing active damage.
Where none of that applies, the honest recommendation is to watch and wait. An assessment that ends in “everything is developing well, see you in a year” is a good outcome rather than a wasted appointment, and a specialist will not start treatment simply because it is possible.
Living with the appliance
Most of this is routine, and the routine is the treatment. An appliance that stays in the drawer is not guiding anything.
- One to two hours during the day, plus overnight while sleeping
- Out for meals, and for anything to drink other than water
- Cleaned regularly, in the same way teeth are
- Come to the review appointments; they are how we see whether it is working
- Tell us if your child is not managing to wear it, rather than waiting for the next visit
Who you would see
Every doctor consults in English and Arabic.
What is Myobrace?
A series of removable appliances worn for an hour or two during the day and then overnight, designed to correct oral habits and guide the teeth and jaws as they develop. There are no metal wires or brackets.
At what age can it start?
Myobrace can be used from as young as four. Myochew, a related early option similar to Myomunchee, is available for children from around two. Which of them suits your child, and whether either is needed at all, is what the assessment establishes.
Is it comfortable to wear?
It is made from soft, flexible material and has no wires or brackets, so there is nothing to irritate the cheeks or gums. Most children adapt to wearing it and carry on with their usual activities.
Can my child eat and drink with it in?
No. It comes out for meals and for anything to drink other than water, which also keeps it clean. It should be cleaned regularly, in the same way teeth are.
Does this mean my child will not need braces later?
Not necessarily. Early treatment addresses a specific problem at the right moment in a child’s growth. Some children still need braces later, and for those who had early treatment the later course is often simpler. Occasionally early work means no further treatment is needed, but that is not something anyone can promise at the outset.
My child is older than seven — have we missed it?
No. The age-seven check is a guideline, not a deadline. Many children start orthodontic treatment in their early teens, and it works well into adulthood. A consultation will establish exactly what your child needs from wherever they are now.
Your next step
Start with a conversation.
Tell us what is on your mind and reception will confirm the right specialist and a time.
- Opening hours
- Sat-Fri: 9AM - 6PM
- Insurance
- Direct billing with 15 insurers. Check yours
- Find us
- Al Razi Building 64, Block B
Dubai Healthcare City