- (210) 499-0009
- 17147 Autry Pond Rd. Suite 104, San Antonio, TX 78247
Looking Beyond Straight Teeth
Orthodontics has traditionally focused on moving teeth into straighter positions.
Dr. Eric D. Cornelius believes there is another important question to ask:
Why did the teeth become crowded or misaligned in the first place?
After practicing traditional orthodontics for over a decade, Dr. Cornelius has extensive experience evaluating tooth position, dental arches, bite relationships, and orthodontic development.
But as his journey into biological and holistic dentistry progressed, his perspective on orthodontics began to change.
He became increasingly interested in the relationship between dental development and breathing, tongue posture, swallowing patterns, oral muscle function, airway health, and childhood growth and development.
That journey led Dr. Cornelius to transition his orthodontic philosophy toward a more myofunctional approach and the use of the Myobrace® system for appropriate patients.
Rather than focusing exclusively on making teeth straight, the goal is to look at the habits and functional patterns that may be contributing to how the teeth, jaws, and face develop.
Myobrace® is a preventive, pre-orthodontic treatment system designed primarily for growing children.
Instead of relying solely on braces to mechanically move teeth, Myobrace® treatment focuses on addressing oral habits and functional patterns that contribute to poor dental and jaw development.
Treatment focuses on helping a child develop healthier patterns involving:
Myobrace® appliances are generally worn for a 2 hour period during the day and while sleeping, together with exercises and activities designed to improve oral function.
Treatment recommendations vary according to the child's age, development, dental condition, and individual needs.
Dr. Cornelius's approach to Myobrace® is different because he brings approximately 10 years of traditional orthodontic experience to his myofunctional philosophy.
He understands conventional tooth movement and has spent years evaluating crowding, spacing, bite relationships, dental arches, and orthodontic development. His continued education in biological and holistic dentistry led him to begin looking beyond the position of the teeth.
Instead of asking only, “How do we straighten these teeth?” Dr. Cornelius began asking, “Why are these teeth developing this way?”
These questions changed the way Dr. Cornelius viewed orthodontic treatment.
His transition toward myofunctional orthodontics represents a natural extension of his biological philosophy:
Look for contributing factors—not simply the visible result.
Crowded teeth are often thought of simply as a problem of not having enough room.
But jaw and dental development are influenced by many factors.
Genetics certainly play a role, but oral function and habits can also influence the environment in which the jaws and teeth develop.
Dr. Cornelius evaluates factors such as:
The tongue is more than a muscle used for speaking and eating. Its resting position and movement are important components of normal oral function. Ideally, the tongue should rest appropriately within the mouth rather than habitually sitting low or pushing against the teeth.
When evaluating a child, Dr. Cornelius pays close attention to tongue posture, tongue mobility, swallowing patterns, and available space for the tongue.
If a restrictive tongue-tie is suspected, he can evaluate whether the restriction may be interfering with normal tongue movement and function.
When clinically appropriate, Dr. Cornelius also provides Fotona laser frenectomy treatment for lip and tongue restrictions.
Treatment decisions are individualized, and a frenectomy is not automatically recommended simply because an anatomical frenum is present.
Breathing is another important part of Dr. Cornelius’s evaluation.
The human body is designed to breathe primarily through the nose at rest.
Some children, however, habitually breathe through their mouths.
Parents may notice:
These signs do not diagnose an airway or sleep disorder, but they may warrant further evaluation.
Dr. Cornelius considers breathing patterns as part of the child's overall dental and myofunctional assessment.
When concerns fall outside the scope of dentistry, appropriate collaboration or referral to other healthcare professionals may be recommended.
One reason Myobrace fits naturally within Dr. Cornelius’s holistic philosophy is its emphasis on functional patterns, including nasal breathing and tongue posture.
Dr. Cornelius does not view the airway as separate from the mouth.
The tongue, jaws, palate, dental arches, oral muscles, and breathing patterns are anatomically and functionally connected.
For this reason, airway considerations become part of orthodontic evaluation. The objective is not to claim that orthodontic treatment cures every breathing or sleep problem. Instead, it is to recognize that breathing and oral function deserve consideration when evaluating a developing child.
Myobrace treatment involves more than wearing an appliance.
Depending on the treatment program, children also participate in activities designed to reinforce healthier oral habits and muscle patterns.
These may focus on:
Consistency is important.
Because treatment involves changing habits as well as wearing an appliance, patient and parent participation are essential parts of the process.
One advantage of a myofunctional approach is that evaluation can begin while a child is still growing. Ideally though, a child should be evaluated at 4 years old.
Parents do not necessarily need to wait until all permanent teeth have erupted before asking questions about crowding, oral habits, breathing, or jaw development.
Earlier evaluation may provide an opportunity to identify functional patterns while growth is still occurring.
Signs that may warrant a Myobrace® or myofunctional evaluation include:
Not necessarily.
This is an important distinction.
Myobrace® and myofunctional treatment can be extremely valuable for appropriate patients, but they do not eliminate the need for conventional orthodontics in every situation.
Some children may still require braces, aligners, or other orthodontic treatment to achieve the desired tooth position and bite.
Dr. Cornelius’s background in traditional orthodontics is particularly valuable here. After approximately a decade of practicing conventional orthodontics, he understands both approaches. His objective is not to reject traditional orthodontics. It is to expand the orthodontic evaluation beyond tooth position alone. When appropriate, myofunctional treatment may become part of the child's overall orthodontic plan.
Dr. Cornelius's transition from traditional orthodontics toward myofunctional treatment reflects the larger evolution of his dental philosophy.
As his education in holistic and biological dentistry expanded, he increasingly began to view dental conditions within a broader context.
The mouth is connected to:
That does not mean every crooked tooth represents a systemic health problem.
It means Dr. Cornelius believes orthodontic treatment should consider more than appearance alone.
Dr. Cornelius's approach is built upon extensive dental education and clinical experience.
He has earned the prestigious Mastership Award from the Academy of General Dentistry (MAGD), representing an exceptional commitment to advanced continuing dental education across multiple disciplines.
He is also an IABDM Certified Biological Dentist through the International Academy of Biological Dentistry and Medicine.
Dr. Cornelius has trained extensively under internationally recognized biological dentist and ceramic implantologist Dr. Dominik Nischwitz (“Dr. Dome”) and has completed certifications offered through Dr. Nischwitz’s training programs in which he participated.
He has additionally pursued advanced hands-on training with Dr. Judson Wall in Utah, further expanding his understanding of biological dentistry and whole-body dental care.
Combined with over a decade of experience practicing traditional orthodontics, this education has helped shape Dr. Cornelius’s transition toward a more comprehensive, myofunctional approach to orthodontic care.
He did not stop understanding traditional orthodontics when his philosophy changed. He began looking at orthodontics through a wider lens.
Parents naturally want their children to have beautiful smiles.
Dr. Cornelius wants that too.
But his goals extend beyond aesthetics.
When evaluating a developing child, he considers the relationship between:
The position of the teeth is still important.
It simply isn't the only thing worth evaluating.
For families searching for Myobrace® in San Antonio, Texas myofunctional orthodontics, holistic orthodontics, airway-focused dentistry, or a biological dentist for children, Dr. Eric D. Cornelius offers an approach shaped by both traditional orthodontic experience and biological dentistry.
After a decade of practicing traditional orthodontics, Dr. Cornelius’s journey into holistic and biological dentistry led him toward a different question:
Instead of only asking how to straighten the teeth, what if we also ask why they developed this way?
That question is at the heart of his myofunctional approach.
If your child has developing dental crowding, mouth breathing, poor tongue posture, abnormal swallowing patterns, an open-mouth resting posture, or other concerns involving dental and jaw development, schedule a Myobrace® evaluation with Dr. Eric D. Cornelius.
Dr. Cornelius will evaluate your child's teeth, bite, dental arches, tongue posture, oral function, breathing patterns, and development to determine whether Myobrace or another treatment approach may be appropriate.
