Does Myobrace work?
Myobrace is a brand of pre-formed myofunctional trainer: a soft mouthpiece worn for an hour or two a day and overnight to encourage nasal breathing, a lip seal and correct tongue posture. Habits do affect how teeth develop, but evidence for trainers is limited and lower-quality, and one systematic review found them generally less effective than conventional functional appliances. Creative Arts in Dubai does not offer Myobrace; our specialist orthodontists assess children around age seven.
Who treats you here Dr. Muhannad Kazzaz Specialist Orthodontist · Dr. Valeriia Kozachenko Specialist Orthodontist
Every dentist’s licence can be checked on the DHA Sheryan medical directory.
Information only: Creative Arts does not provide Myobrace or myofunctional trainers
We explain these appliances because parents ask about them. What we offer is an orthodontic assessment for children around age seven with our specialist orthodontists, who check the bite, jaws, habits and breathing pattern, and explain whether anything needs doing now or can be monitored.
What is a myofunctional appliance?
"Myofunctional" refers to the function of the muscles around the mouth: the tongue, lips and cheeks, and how they behave when a child breathes, swallows and rests. The idea behind myofunctional appliances is that these muscles help shape how the teeth and jaws develop. A tongue that rests low and pushes forward when swallowing, lips that stay apart, or habitual mouth breathing can all be associated with crowding, a narrow upper jaw, prominent front teeth or an open bite.
A myofunctional trainer is a soft, pre-formed mouthpiece, made in standard sizes rather than from a scan of the child's teeth. It typically has a tongue tag that guides the tongue tip to the right position, a lip bumper that discourages lip straining, and channels that guide the front teeth. It is usually worn for one to two hours during the day plus overnight, together with breathing and swallowing exercises. Myobrace is one well-known brand of this kind of system; others exist.
These trainers are different from custom functional appliances, such as twin-block appliances, which an orthodontist designs from records to change how the jaws meet during growth, and from myofunctional therapy delivered as exercises by a trained therapist, sometimes alongside a speech therapist.
Myofunctional trainers, functional appliances and braces compared
A general comparison to help parents understand the terms. Which approach, if any, suits a child depends on the diagnosis.
| Pre-formed myofunctional trainer | Custom functional appliance | Braces or aligners | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Soft standard-sized mouthpiece | Appliance made from the child's records to posture the jaw | Fixed brackets and wire, or custom clear trays |
| Main aim | Retrain tongue, lip and breathing habits; guide erupting teeth | Change how upper and lower jaws meet while the child is growing | Move teeth precisely into position |
| Typical age | Often marketed for younger children in the mixed dentition | During growth, timed by the orthodontist | Usually once most adult teeth are through; any age for adults |
| Wear | A few hours a day plus overnight; relies heavily on cooperation | Usually many hours a day; relies on cooperation | Fixed braces work continuously; aligners about 20–22 hours a day |
| Evidence | Limited and lower-quality; some short-term bite changes | Better studied for prominent upper teeth in growing children | Well established for aligning teeth and correcting bites |
| At Creative Arts | Not offered (information only) | Not listed as a service; the specialist explains if an early step might help | Fixed metal braces and Invisalign offered |
Whatever is used early, many children still need braces or aligners later to align the adult teeth in detail, followed by retainers.
What does the evidence support, and what does it not?
What is reasonably well supported. Oral habits matter. Prolonged thumb or dummy sucking is associated with open bites and prominent front teeth, and a persistent forward tongue posture or mouth-breathing pattern can go with a narrow upper jaw and crossbites. Removing a habit early often lets a developing open bite improve on its own. Our guides to thumb sucking and mouth breathing in children explain this.
What is more limited. Studies of pre-formed trainers do show some short-term changes, such as reduced prominence of the upper front teeth or a reduced deep bite in some children. But the evidence is mostly lower-quality, with short follow-up, and results depend heavily on how consistently the trainer is worn. A 2020 systematic review in the European Journal of Orthodontics concluded that low-quality evidence suggests prefabricated myofunctional appliances were generally less effective than conventional activator-type functional appliances for short-term treatment of prominent upper front teeth.
What is not established. Claims that a trainer alone will give straight adult teeth "without braces", permanently widen the jaws, change facial growth or treat a breathing disorder go beyond what current evidence shows. Breathing and sleep problems in children need a medical assessment, typically by the paediatrician or an ENT specialist, because enlarged tonsils, adenoids or allergies are common causes.
Why does a child need an orthodontic assessment first?
A mouthpiece bought or fitted without a diagnosis treats a guess. The same visible problem, for example crowded front teeth at age eight, can have very different causes: a small jaw, large teeth, a baby tooth lost early, an extra tooth blocking the way, or an adult canine heading off course. Some of these need nothing but time; others need a specific step at a specific age, and a few are only visible on an X-ray.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children first see an orthodontist no later than age seven, when the mix of baby and adult teeth lets developing problems be spotted. At Creative Arts, our children's orthodontic assessment is carried out by our specialist orthodontists, Dr. Muhannad Kazzaz and Dr. Valeriia Kozachenko. They look at the bite from the front and sides, jaw width and any sideways shift, space for the adult teeth, missing or extra teeth, and habits, breathing and tongue posture. Most children are simply monitored; if an early step might help, the specialist explains what it would involve and why.
Concerned about your child's bite, habits or mouth breathing? Book an orthodontic assessment with our specialist orthodontists in Dubai: an examination and a clear explanation, with nothing fitted on the day.
Children's orthodontic assessmentQuestions to ask if a myofunctional trainer is recommended
- What exactly is the diagnosis? Ask which problem the trainer is meant to correct, and whether X-rays or other records were taken to confirm it.
- Who is supervising? Ask whether a specialist orthodontist has examined your child, and who will review progress.
- What is a realistic outcome? Ask what change to expect, by when, and how it will be measured.
- Will braces or aligners still be needed later? For many children the honest answer is "possibly", and it is better to know at the start.
- What if my child does not wear it? Results depend on daily wear and exercises; ask what happens if cooperation is poor.
- Has breathing been checked medically? Snoring, pauses in breathing at night or constant mouth breathing should be seen by the child's doctor.
If you want to understand typical ages for orthodontic treatment, see what age braces usually start. For later treatment, Invisalign for teens and orthodontics for teenagers describe what the clinic provides.