Types of Appliances
To successfully complete your orthodontic treatment plan, patients must work together with their orthodontist to reach the treatment goals. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the elastics (rubber bands), headgear or other appliances as prescribed.
The following paragraphs describe the types of appliances that may be used during your treatment.
Elastics (Rubber Bands)
Wearing elastics (rubber bands) improves the bite or fit of your upper and lower teeth. Wearing your rubber bands as instructed increases the efficiency of the rubber bands, and speeds up your bite correction. Good elastic wear can actually decrease the amount of time you have to wear your braces. One caution though is to never double up your rubber bands without approval from your orthodontist as using too much force can result in root resorption and tooth loss, or even stop a tooth from moving at all, basically delaying your treatment completion.
Headgear
While headgear use is very limited there are some cases that do benefit from its use. Headgear is used to treat patients whose teeth are in an “overbite,” (with the uppers forward of the lowers) or an “underbite” (with the lowers forward of the uppers). Headgear gently “pulls” on your teeth to restrict further forward growth of your upper teeth and jaw. If headgear is required in your case it is limited to private time at home and does not need to be worn at school or in public.
Functional Appliances (Herbst, Forsus, Mara)
Functional appliances reduce the overbite by encouraging the lower jaw forward and the upper molars backward. These fixed appliances are used mostly for younger, growing children and are worn for about 12-15 months.
Palatal Expander
The palatal expander “expands” (widens) your upper jaw by putting gentle pressure on your upper molars each time an adjustment is made. Your orthodontist will instruct you about when and how to adjust your expander. When you achieve the desired expansion, you will wear the appliance for several months to solidify the expansion and to prevent relapse.
Positioners
Positioners complete the final tooth movements in your orthodontic treatment. With your full cooperation, you should only need to wear the positioner appliance for 4-8 weeks.
Retainers
Retainers may be removable or fixed. They hold your teeth in their new, correct positions after your teeth have been straightened. Your orthodontist will instruct you on how to care for your retainer and about the duration of the wear. Wearing your retainer as directed is crucial to prevent relapse of your treatment.
Separators (or Spacers)
Separators are little rubber doughnuts that may be placed between your teeth to push them apart so that orthodontic bands may be placed during your next appointment. The separators will be removed before we place the bands. Separators do not mix well with sticky foods or with toothpicks and floss.
