Types of Appliances

 Elastics (Rubber Bands)

By wearing these elastics, it greatly improves your upper and lower teeth’s positioning, which means achieving a properly fitting and functioning bite (occlusion). Your orthodontist will tell you when and for how long you need to be wearing elastics. It is very beneficial to keep up with wearing them, since it will help move the process of your treatment along!

Separators or Spacers

These small round, rubber ‘appliances’ may be placed between certain teeth to push them apart, so that orthodontic bands can be put on when you visit us next. These separators will be removed before we put the bands on. Because these separators are so delicate they do not blend well with sticky foods, toothpicks and dental floss, so be sure to be wary of these when you have separators in.

Headgear or Reverse-Pull Headgear

The traditional Headgear appliance is used to help those patients with an “overbite”. It is made to softly ‘push’ on your teeth to prevent further forward growth of the upper teeth and jaw. For young patients with an “underbite”, a Reverse-Pull Headgear (also called Facemask Therapy-see Early Orthodontic Treatment) is used to give the upper jaw a forward ‘pull’.

Palatal Expander

The palatal expander appliance widens or expands the upper jaw, by putting soft and acute pressure on your upper molars, every time an adjustment is made. Your orthodontist will let you know when and how certain adjustments should be made. This appliance continues to be worn for a few months after your desired expansion, to solidify the adjustments made and prevent any regression.

Positioners

Positioners complete the final tooth movements in your orthodontic treatment. If you cooperate fully, you should only need to wear the positioners for around four to eight weeks.

Herbst® Appliance, Carriere Motion®, Crossbow® or Functional Appliances

Functional Appliances reduce the overbite patients have, by encouraging the lower jaw forward and the upper molars back. This is mainly used on younger, growing patients, for a duration of 12 to 18 months.

Removable Retainers

Retainers are a removable appliance that holds your teeth in the correct position after the completion of your treatment. Your orthodontist will give you instructions on how to care for and clean your retainer, as well as the length of time you would need to be wearing it for.

Fixed (Bonded) Retainers

A bonded or fixed retainer is a wire that is custom-fitted to the back of the lower front teeth and sometimes the upper front teeth. The bonded wire keeps the set of 4 to 6 teeth from shifting. There is the traditional straight wire method or the lab-made Zigzag style to choose from. Flossing with the Zigzag fixed retainer is easier.

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