Early intervention treatment focuses on addressing underlying functional and structural issues in a child’s developing mouth and jaws before they become more complex. At KB Village Dental, we offer three key early intervention therapies — Myofunctional Therapy, Planas Treatment, and the Palatal Expansion — each designed to guide healthy facial development, correct harmful habits, and set the foundation for long-term oral health and function.
Myofunctional Therapy (MFT)
Myofunctional Therapy (MFT) is a structured treatment that focuses on retraining and strengthening the muscles of the face, tongue, and mouth. It is designed to improve breathing, speech, swallowing, and jaw development by correcting improper oral habits and muscle function. At KB Village Dental, our Oral Health Therapist, Ms. Mirna Yousif, provides personalised MFT programs to support healthy growth and function in children.
MFT may be recommended for children who experience:
- Mouth breathing or resting with an open mouth
- Speech difficulties or unclear pronunciation
- Tongue thrusting when swallowing
- Thumb or finger sucking habits past the toddler years
- Misaligned teeth or open bites
- Snoring, restless sleep, or signs of airway obstruction
- Difficulty chewing or swallowing certain foods
- Poor posture or weak facial muscle tone
The therapy targets key muscle groups including:
- Tongue muscles – for proper resting position and movement
- Lip muscles – to support sealing of the lips and effective swallowing
- Jaw (TMJ) muscles – to guide balanced jaw growth and stability
Early intervention with MFT can help promote proper facial development, support airway health, and reduce the need for future orthodontic treatment. Treatment plans are gentle, engaging, and designed to suit each child’s individual needs.
Planas Treatment
The Planas Technique is a gentle and effective early intervention treatment used to guide proper jaw growth and correct functional shift habits in young children. It focuses on encouraging symmetrical development of the jaws and correcting early bite discrepancies—especially crossbites, asymmetrical chewing patterns, and functional shifts.
Using custom-made resin bite ramps (called direct tracks) placed on the front or back teeth, this treatment encourages children to chew evenly on both sides of the mouth, stimulating balanced growth of the facial structures. It’s a non-invasive, preventative approach designed to reduce the need for complex orthodontic treatment in the future, and is ideal for children in their primary or early mixed dentition phase.
Palatal Expansion Treatment
The Palatal Expander is a fixed orthodontic appliance used to widen the upper jaw (maxilla). It is commonly recommended to correct issues such as crowding, crossbites, or to create space in preparation for future orthodontic treatment. The appliance is attached to the upper back teeth and works by applying gentle, gradual pressure to expand the palatal bone through its midline.
There are two types of Hyrax expanders:
- Banded – secured to the upper molars with metal bands
- Bonded – fitted over the upper molars using plastic pads that are bonded to the teeth
Both designs include a small central screw that is activated once per day using a special key provided by the dentist. Each turn of the screw expands the device by approximately 0.25mm. Over a period of about 2-5 weeks, daily turning creates the expansion required for the upper jaw. It is normal for a temporary gap to appear between the front teeth during this phase.
After the activation phase is complete, the appliance remains in place for an additional 4–6 months to stabilise the new jaw width.
Bonded Hyrax
Banded Hyrax
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Our convenient Kirribilli location, nestled between Milsons Point and Neutral Bay, makes us your local Sydney North Shore dentist. If you’re travelling by car, there’s plenty of street parking nearby. And we’re only a short walk from Milsons Point train station.
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