Traditional orthodontic treatment for crooked teeth, or malocclusion as it is professionally known, is often delayed until all permanent teeth have come through at around 12 years of age and, unfortunately, braces and extracting teeth in teenage years does not solve the underlying health problems. The children pictured above are only four to five years of age and you can already see their baby teeth are crowded. Consequently, there won't be enough space for all the permanent teeth to fit into the correct alignment. It is not because the teeth are too big, but more a case that the jaws have not developed sufficiently. Since the permanent teeth are bigger, they will not have room to fit into the smaller jaws.

Traditional orthodontics overlooks these causes and only focuses on forcing the teeth to be straighter. A lack of sufficient space has led to the common practice of healthy permanent teeth being extracted, which can result in a sunken-in facial profile and, in time the appearance of ageing more than expected. This detrimental approach also often leads to the orthodontic crowding returning, unless a wire is glued permanently onto the teeth, because the underlying causes have not been addressed.

As well as affecting jaw and facial development, the medical profession now recognises that mouth breathing is abnormal and is also one of the main contributors of Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) problems. Symptoms include snoring, morning tiredness and learning difficulties, with extreme cases stopping breathing at times during the night. This is the medical condition called Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA). If left untreated, SDB can lead to significant and serious health problems that cause poorer quality of life in adulthood.