Orthodontic Appliance

Palatal expanders are a common appliance used in early orthodontic treatment for children whose jaw bones are still developing. These appliances serve to widen the upper jaw to create the necessary space for teeth to erupt in a healthy alignment.

If your child requires a palatal expander, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about cleaning it, activating it and caring for it!

What to expect: Upon initial placement, there may be some tongue obstruction, but your speech will be back to normal in just a few days.

The Herbst® Appliance can be used with or without braces. This custom fabricated surgical-grade stainless steel framework cemented to the first permanent molars in all four corners of the patient’s mouth. These frameworks aid in modifying the Class II malocclusion by exerting an upward/backward force on the upper jaw and a forward force on the lower jaw. These types of appliances work comfortably with a patient’s inherent growth to affect the desired changes.

What to expect: Upon initial placement, the patient can expect to feel the appliance on the tongue and cheeks but speech obstruction and soft tissue sensitivity tend to disappear in the first week or two of wear.

Schwartz Expander, named after the developer of this appliance, is a removable expander to develop the arch. A slow expansion occurs by turning a small screw in the center of the appliance at home weekly, or as directed by your orthodontist

The Trans-Palatal Arch is used to hold upper molars in place, stabilizing the position of these teeth during or after the movement of other teeth. The TPA can also be used to rotate molars into more ideal positions to improve the bite and to help the molars move as a unit when working together with TADs.

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, toothpicks, or floss.

What to expect: following placement of the separators, the involved teeth may exhibit some degree of soreness that can be eradicated utilizing anti-inflammatory medication for a day or two. Thereafter, the separators will be “invisible” to the patient.

The Nance appliance is used to hold the upper molars in place, to prevent them from rotating or shifting forward. With this appliance, two metal bands are cemented around the first molars and a wire connects the back molars to an acrylic pad, located behind the two front teeth.

Temporary anchorage devices (TADs) are temporary dental implants embedded into the bone to create an “anchor” that assists with tooth movement. These appliances are generally used when certain teeth require shifting, and others don’t. TADs enable us to treat individual teeth with greater efficiency.

Special care should be taken to clean around the TADs as the soft tissues surrounding the TADs may have a greater propensity for inflammation if not properly cleaned.

The CMA® or PowerBar™ are alternative ways to address posterior malocclusions (mis-aligned back teeth) before braces or Invisalign® therapy starts. It involves the use of an appliance called a distalizer which attaches to the canine tooth and the permanent first molar on each side of the mouth. The appliance is individually sized and bonded.

This appliance is very important for our younger patients. It helps to hold space open for adult teeth when deciduous (baby) teeth are lost prematurely or normally. In most cases this appliance can prevent the need for extractions due to crowding.

We suggest patients rinse with water after eating to help clean the appliance. Brush and floss as usual, taking special care to clean around the bands.