Oral Functional Orthodontic Therapy (Orthodontics)

In this treatment, we will prompt growth of patients’ body, head and jawbone and improve teeth into straightened.
Occlusion is involved in way of breath, biting, speaking and position. To improve your occlusion into health condition, it is necessary to grow them correctly.

So, in our oral functional orthodontic therapy, we stimulate entire body, head, jaw and growth of mouth. And we also carry out orthodontic treatment.
In usual orthodontic treatment, on the other hand, it is main goal that making teeth straightened. In that treatment, 4 healthy teeth are often extracted because it disregards the growth of body, head and jaw.

In occlusion development treatment, we also go toward beautiful teeth. But in addition, we change teeth into natural and healthy one and you will bite tightly.
You will get great teeth and occlusion which support your entire body health.

The flow of OFTF (Oral Functional Orthodontic Therapy)

Our OFTF (i-OFTF) have following steps not to be decayed teeth and periodontal diseas
①Preventive therapy and treatment for decayed and periodontal disease

If you visit our clinic for the first time, we check your mouth to grasp your oral condition.
No decayed teeth and periodontal disease is the purpose of this step!

After the brackets and wire are mounted in your teeth, decayed teeth and periodontal disease will occur easily.
Unfortunately, there are some patients got them. But we pay attention to decayed tooth and periodontal disease during whole treatment step, so our patients will not get them.
② Orthodontic treatment

We check photographs of mouth, X-rays, study model and muscle around mouth to find why patient got irregular teeth.

Make a treatment plan and explain contents, period, advantages, disadvantages and expense clearly. When patient (and his family) understands and accepts our plan,

MFT (Myo Functional Therapy)

Dentition involves with body position, habit and how to eat. If patients have some problems, we guide and improve them. In addition, we tell patients how to oral gymnastics because incongruence of muscle around mouth also gets teeth irregular. Patients will be able to use muscle and eat in right way.
For example, we would like you to learn right body position, how to bite, swallow and breath and then, train lingual muscle.

Orthodontic treatment with devices

In some cases, we use brackets and wire to improve because irregular teeth and wrong way of biting are not cured only by MFT.
③Maintenance

When patient get good oral condition with no decayed teeth and periodontal disease, we perform maintenance to keep original teeth for life.

We can achieve this because of our great staffs who have professional skills and correct knowledge.

Characters of i-OFTF

We eat, drink and speak through our mouth, which is entrance connected stomach and bowels. In addition, it supports the respiratory organs, prompts brain growth, holds position and protects you from foreign matters.
Recently, it is said that oral diseases are deeply involved with systematic disease. For example, people who have no teeth tend to get dementia. Periodontal disease cause diabetes, high blood pressure and cerebrovascular accidents. These mean health of mouth serve a important role for the whole body condition.

We grow mouth which has important function and get patient healthy mind and body. This is goal of i-OFTF. To achieve this, we tell and lead right body position, how to swallow and right pronunciation. We also fix the balance between upper and lower jaw.
After that, we completely prevent decayed teeth and periodontitis to keep good condition for life.

Patients can get good posture, pronunciation and right way of eating too. This support to get good stomach, intestines, respiratory organ and mind.

On the other hand, the main goal of normal orthodontic treatments is “make regular teeth.” In this case, 4 teeth are extracted and make a straightened teeth in appearance. Like this, our goal is greatly differ from normal one, so the results are markedly different.

Differences between i-OFTF and normal orthodontic treatment
i-OFTF Normal orthodontic therapy
Goal Bring up healthy oral condition
Prompt good body condition and mind		 Just straighten teeth
Extraction Almost never because we bring up jaw 4 permanent teeth are extracted in many cases
Expression Balanced, fresh and healthy smile Angry- looks and mouth looks turn down
Return Back Hardly. We remove the reason why patient got
irregular teeth		 Easily. Leave the factor alone.
Eating
and swallowing 		Good (for stomach) Tend to remain wrong pronunciation
Pronunciation Good Tend to remain wrong pronunciation
Bad habits Guided and broken Tend to remain
Probability of decayed teeth
and periodontal disease		 Almost never High

In i-OFTF, we seldom extract teeth. Patient got good look and posture. They become able to eat, drink and swallow correctly. There are better results than normal treatment in i-OFTF. Patients have no need to worry about turning back, decayed teeth and periodontal disease.

Background of i-OFTF

Our director (Eiji Ichimaru) started to study orthodontic treatment in his graduate school days, 1986. He practiced the treatment for people who have periodontal disease, with professors of orthodontics of Nagasaki University.

After he set up as a dentist, in 2000, he learned edgewise method from Dr. Kyoichi Kiyama.

Since that time, he has focused on prevention of decayed teeth and periodontal disease. In 2003, he became to control the diseases in many cases, especially children. At the same time, however, he strongly felt like something wrong, “why should I extract healthy teeth?”

When he participated in Dr. Yasushi Takada’s seminar, he knew oral functional orthodontic therapy. Dr. Takada is a pioneer of the therapy.
Our director was sure of that patients will get beautiful teeth with no decayed teeth and periodontal disease by this therapy and his preventive treatment.

After that, from 2004 to 2010, our director and vice-director took part in seminars of Japan Society for the study of OFTF once a month.
Dental hygienists and dental assistants also study OFTF and preventive treatments in weekly meeting of our clinic or other seminar.

The background of i-OFTF is these experiences, academic activity and our passion “Grow great oral health.”

Cases

Case 1
Before After
Unnatural smiling face Great smiling face

Upper jaw did not grow enough and this patient had hard double teeth. This patient could not bite tightly because
his teeth of lower jaw cut U-shaped.
After OFTF, however, he got beautiful teeth with no decayed teeth and periodontal disease and more and more great smile.
Case 2
Before After
Like a forced smiling face Healthy and natural
smiling face

Upper left tooth was double tooth and opposite side tooth did not cut and it was covered with gum completely.
Patient got beautiful teeth after OFTF, of course with no decayed teeth and periodontal disease.
Labored smiling face changed into great smile.
Case 3
Before After

This patient’s upper front tooth cut crooked and looks not good and there was space between upper and lower teeth.
After therapy, both cuspids stay in correct position. He got favulous healthy smile with no decayed teeth and periodontal disease.
症例4
術前 術後

Front teeth were not streighten and both cuspids and the back teeth of them could not meet.
After treatmnet, patient got beautiful regular teeth without decyed teeth and periodontal disease.

We show only inside of patients’ mouth and lips. In addition, their wrong habits were broken such as posture, pronunciation, biting and swallowing.
We achived to grow healthy mouth which supports bady health with no decayed teeth and petiodontal disease.

Please come to us, if you feel uneasy about your teeth.

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