What is IMDO™
IMDO™ (intermandibular distraction osteogenesis) is a revolutionary way to fix a small lower jaw and big overbite, with less invasiveness than traditional jaw surgery.
Orthodontic treatment is about more that just straightening your teeth, it's about your entire face.
It is still common in orthodontics to remove healthy teeth when treating dental crowding. Teeth are generally around the same size, so if you have crowded teeth, it is really because your jaws are too small.
Making your jaws bigger fixes the cause of your dental crowding. It creates the space to straighten your teeth without removing any, and can prevent wisdom teeth issues by making room for them too.
Small jaws are a key reason why we may experience breathlessness, snoring, and Sleep Apnea. Breathing is influenced by how our faces grow, and the smaller your jaws, the more your breathing is affected.
IMDO™ rapidly grows your lower jaw forward in ideal proportion to your face. Your airway opens as your jaw grows forward, and you will notice dramatic improvements to breathing, sleeping and exercise tolerance.
Our aim with IMDO™ is not just a straight smile, but to keep all your teeth, optimise your breathing, and harmonise your facial appearance. Most of all, we want you to have a healthy and dynamic self-confidence.
What is the IMDO™ | Overbite Correction process?
IMDO™ works by precisely separating the lower jaw between the 1st and 2nd molars. Uniquely designed growth devices are placed beneath the gum tissue, and are activated at home to grow the jaw by 1mm per day.
A maximum of 1.5 cm of jaw length is achieved in the first two weeks. The bone between the molar teeth is allowed to solidify for a short time, and the growth devices then removed in a simple surgical procedure.
The lower jaw lengthens, widens and becomes 3-dimensionally bigger as it grows. This makes room for your tongue to sit in the floor of your mouth, and pulls your tongue forward to remove airway obstruction.
Growing your lower jaw creates them room to decrowd your lower teeth. Your teeth can then be straightened into proper alignment, and the correct bite established between your upper and lower jaws.
What are the changes with IMDO™ | Overbite Correction?
You will observe many exciting and dramatic changes in your child during their treatment with IMDO™. We have outlined these below so you know what to expect, and so there aren't any surprises.
Facial Appearance
Their facial profile will have noticeably changed by the end of the first week. As the chin point advances, the jaw line becomes more defined, and the skin under the chin becomes more taut.
Their lower lip becomes more prominent, and the appearance of their nose, lips and chin becomes more balanced. The sense of big front teeth disappears as the position of their teeth normalises.
Airway & Breathing
Your child should stop snoring almost immediately, and their breathing in general should become easier. Your child should experience immediate improvements in their endurance and ability to exercise.
Maximising the IMDO™ distance amplifies how much upper airway tenting can be achieved. It is airway tenting that allows for easier breathing during exercise, and prevents future snoring and Sleep Apnea.
Jaw Joint Function
The change in your child's bite is the first thing they will notice. Although the changes are subtle, their crowded teeth are starting to shuffle, erupt and unwind as their bite finds a new natural equilibrium.
For some, lower teeth will land behind the upper front teeth, some will be edge-to-edge, and others into a subtle “underbite”. The final position is determined by assessing their facial profile and airway changes.
Tongue Position
Their tongue and upper airway are pulled forward as the lower jaw is advanced. As the lower jaw becomes longer and wider, the tongue lifts up and stretches forward.
This gives a feeling of the tongue having more room as the inside of the mouth becomes bigger. There shouldn't be changes to speech, although pre-existing difficulties with lisping may improve.
Neck Posture
Bad neck posture is common in people of all ages with short lower jaws. Forward head posturing is needed to open the major airway behind the tongue, to relieve airway obstruction and enable breathing.
Rounding of the shoulders can lead to abnormal growth of the spinal column in the neck. Advancing the jaw with IMDO™ prevents the chronic forward head posturing required to overcome airway obstruction.
Read more about IMDO™
IMDO™ is superior to Overbite Correction with traditional ortho & braces.Read more here.
IMDO™ can be just as effective at correcting big Overbites in adults. Read more here.
For more detailed information on the health risks and solutions, download our Free ebook, 'IMDO: A Different Approach to Traditional Orthodontics'.
Any surgical procedure carries risks. Before proceeding, please seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
To speak further with our patient coordinator, or to book a consultation today, please use our online inquiry form or call 1300 323 288.