types of appliances
Choose a Topic:
Rubber Bands | Palatal Expander | Trans-Palatal Expander
Forsus Springs | Tooth Positioner | Separators
To successfully complete the orthodontic treatment plan, the patient must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the rubber bands, palatal expander, or other appliances as prescribed.
Rubber Bands (Elastics)
Wearing rubber bands is critical to the success of orthodontic treatment. They provide the "pull" needed to move your teeth into proper alignment to achieve an ideal bite (how the upper and lower teeth fit together). Be sure that you understand where to place the rubber bands to get the desired tooth movement for your specific case. There are multiple ways of wearing the rubber bands and each way has a different effect on the direction of tooth movement.
For rubber bands to be effective, they must be worn as close to 24 hours per day and each and every day. Constant wear of your rubber bands is essential. If you forget to wear the rubber bands for one day, the progress that you achieved for the last 2 to 3 days will be lost. You will need to change your rubber bands 2-3 times per day (usually at meal times and before bed).
Your teeth will be sore for the first few days of wearing rubber bands. As soon as your teeth get used to the new pressure, the soreness will disappear. A pain reliever such as Advil might be helpful. As long as you continue to wear your elastics, the teeth will not be sore again. However, if you don't wear your elastics each and every day, you may experience the one to two days of soreness again.
If you follow the basic instructions that we have given you and wear your elastics all day and all night, your treatment will progress as planned and you will be on your way to a beautiful, healthy smile!
Palatal Expander (RPE)
The palatal expander "expands" (widens) the upper jaw by putting pressure on your upper molars each time an adjustment is made. We will instruct you about when and how to adjust your expander. We will need to see you on a more frequent basis while you are actively expanding the palate. When the desired expansion has been obtained, you will need to continue wearing the appliance for several more months to solidify the expansion and prevent regression.
The palatal expander takes a couple of days to adjust to eating and talking. As you are expanding the appliance, a space between the front teeth usually develops. Don't worry--the teeth will drift back together once expansion is complete. This also provides more space for alignment of the front teeth either by natural drifting of the teeth or orthodontically with braces.
Trans-Palatal Expander
The transpalatal arch has several functions in orthodontic treatment. It can be used for anchorage of the upper molars, (maintain the position of the back teeth from moving) to slightly expand or constrict the upper arch width, to adjust the upper molar root positions, or to push the upper molars upward to allow the lower jaw to close more and allow the front teeth to bite together better. It may be used for any or all of these purposes in your orthodontic treatment.
The transpalatal arch also takes a few days to get used to talking and eating. The tongue may become irritated from hitting the bar when swallowing. You should become adjusted and not have much discomfort after the first week. If you have too much discomfort after the first week, we can place a small, smooth piece of acrylic around the adjustment loop area which creates a smooth, broader surface area which causes much less irritation to the tongue.
Forsus Springs
This is a non-removable orthodontic functional appliance that is used for the treatment of an overjet (top teeth protrude out from lower teeth). The spring-like appliance creates an upward and backward force on the upper molars similar to a headgear, while at the same time pushing the lower teeth and jaw forward. This helps in auto-rotating the lower jaw forward and advancing the lower teeth to reduce the bite discrepancy between the upper and lower front teeth.
Typically, the Forsus Springs are worn for 6 to 8 months, with adjustments every 5 to 6 weeks in order to accomplish the forward movement of the lower jaw and teeth in a physiologically acceptable manner. The springs may cause some slight spaces to open between teeth. Don't worry, we will close the spaces once the springs are removed.
The lips and cheeks may take a few days to adjust to the springs. Fortunately, the springs provide a light, constant force, so the teeth typically do not feel too much pressure or discomfort. If the springs irritate the cheeks while sleeping on your side, we have some Dry Angles which may be placed between the cheeks and springs to prevent irritation.
Please avoid hard, sweet, and sticky foods. Brush your teeth and gums, the appliance and the areas around the appliance carefully and often. It is possible, in some cases, for the lower rods that insert up into the spring portion to disengage by opening the mouth too wide. This can be easily corrected by opening wide, compressing the spring, and re-inserting the rod into the spring.
We truly appreciate and understand the difficulty you might have adjusting to the Forsus Springs, but there should not be too much tooth discomfort because of the light force. Once you have become accustomed to the appliance, we are sure that you will be very pleased with the rapid results.
Tooth Positioner
A tooth positioner may be used after removal of the braces to complete the final tooth movements in your orthodontic treatment. You should only have to wear the positioner appliance for 4 to 8 weeks. Your full cooperation is critical! Otherwise, your teeth could have undesirable tooth movements requiring replacing the braces back on the teeth. With good cooperation, the teeth will be guided to their ideal position for a beautiful smile and a good functional bite.
Separators
Separators are little rubber doughnuts that may be placed between your back molar teeth to push them apart so that orthodontic bands (metal rings) may be placed. The separators will be removed before we place the bands. Separators do not mix well with sticky foods or with toothpicks and floss.
