Appliances

Tongue Thrusting Appliance

Tongue thrusting occurs when the patient presses his or her tongue against the front teeth, usually when swallowing, speaking or resting the tongue. If thrusting is constant, this can cause problems with teeth alignment and must be fixed.

Dr. Hassel prefers to correct tongue thrusting by giving patients a tongue thrusting appliance. This appliance, similar to a mouthguard, is usually worn at night. Other times, a more permanent appliance is prescribed and can be only be adjusted by Dr. Hassel.

Thumb/Finger Appliance

Sucking is a natural reflex that relaxes and comforts babies and toddlers. Children usually cease thumb sucking when the permanent front teeth are ready to erupt. Typically, children stop between the ages of 2 and 4 years. Thumb sucking that persists beyond the eruption of primary teeth can cause improper growth of the mouth and misalignment of the teeth. If you notice prolonged and/or vigorous thumb sucking behavior in your child, talk to your dentist.

One solution to thumb sucking is an appliance called a "fixed palatal crib." This appliance is put on the child's upper teeth by an orthodontist. It’s placed behind on the upper teeth on the roof of the mouth. The crib consists of semicircular stainless steel wires that are fastened to molars using steel bands. The stainless steel wires fit behind the child's upper front teeth, and they are barely visible. The crib usually stops the habit of thumb sucking within the first day of use.

Herbst Appliance

One of the most common problems orthodontists treat is the discrepancy that occurs when the upper teeth protrude beyond the lower. Ordinarily, when we see a patient with the upper teeth protruding, we tend to think that the upper jaw and teeth are too far forward; but, more often than not, this condition is due to a small lower jaw that is further back than it should be. With these patients, we would like to encourage the lower jaw to catch up in growth, and braces like the Herbst appliance help this happen.

Even though the Herbst appliance prevents the lower jaw from moving backward, opening and closing movement still occur easily, and patients do not have any problems learning to chew their food with their lower jaw in this new position.

As with all kinds of braces, patients with Herbst appliances need to be careful about what they eat. For instance, cold foods such as ice slushes, Popsicles and ice will freeze the cement and make the brace loosen. Sticky foods such as caramels, bubble gum and candy suckers will pull the brace away from the teeth. Hard foods like crisp vegetables and hard candies will bend and loosen the Herbst appliance, too. So stay away from these foods during your orthodontic treatment.

Your Herbst appliance will be checked and adjusted at your appointments. If, sometimes between appointments, you develop some sore areas on the inside of your cheeks, please do not try to adjust the appliance yourself. Call for an appointment so that the necessary adjustments can be made.

Headgear/Facemask

Headgear is often used to correct an excessive overbite. This is done by placing pressure against the upper teeth and jaw, which would hold the teeth in position or help move them into better positions. The severity of the problem determines the length of time headgear needs to be worn. The key to success with your headgear appliance is consistency. Headgear must be worn a certain number of hours per day, and if not, it must be made up the following day.

Headgear should never be worn while playing sports and should also be removed while eating or brushing your teeth.

Often referred to as reverse-pull headgear, the protraction face mask is a removable appliance for patients where the upper jaw is not growing fast enough, resulting in a crossbite or underbite. The device consists of a metal bar attached to pads on the forehead and chin with rubber bands hooked to the face mask and the upper braces to gradually move the upper jaw forward. Patient compliance is extremely important as the face mask must be worn a set number of hours per day or more to obtain the desired results. The face mask device is generally worn for 6-12 months.

Pendulum Appliance

The Pendulum Appliance is used to correct class II malocclusions by distalizing upper molars. It’s used to correct the patient’s bite on the side of their mouth.

The Pendulum Appliance consists of a plastic “button” that touches the roof of the mouth and resilient wire springs that act in a broad swinging arc to move the molars back. The appliance uses the roof of the mouth as an anchor to move the molars back into their correct positions. Patients usually wear this appliance for 3 to 5 months.

Pendex Appliance

The Pendex Appliance is a Pendulum Appliance that uses an expansion screw to widen the upper palate, correcting class II malocclusions and the patient’s bite.

The Pendex Appliance consists of a plastic “button” that touches the roof of the mouth. Within this button, there is a keyhole where you are to place the key and turn it according to Dr. Hassel’s instructions. This turning will widen the appliance, thus widening your upper palate. Patients usually wear this appliance for 3 to 6 months.

Distal Jet Appliance

The Distal Jet Appliance is a non-removable lingual appliance that is used to move upper teeth backward faster and more predictably than headgear. The Distal Jet distalizes molars and corrects teeth that have rotated. This appliance corrects class II problems.

The Distal Jet Appliance uses a solid track wire and two sets of locking screws on each side. The appliance is self-limiting by design because it has a distal stop attached to the tracking wire. The Distal Jet can be converted to a Nance Appliance by tightening the distal and anterior locks against the track wire and adding a Nance holding arch.

Nance Appliance

The Nance Appliance is used to prevent upper molars from rotating or moving forward after you’ve worn a headgear, a Wilson’s arch or any other appliance to move your molars back. Some patients wear the Nance Appliance while they are awaiting their bicuspids to grow into place.

The appliance is made of two bands that are cemented onto the first molars and a wire spans the roof of the mouth from one molar to the other. An acrylic pad or “button” covers the wire that touches the roof of your mouth directly behind your front teeth.

Patients should always brush around the bands daily. Do not eat sticky, chewy candy as it can loosen your appliance.

Lip Bumpers

Dr. Hassel likes to avoid pulling teeth as often as possible, so he uses lip bumpers on his patients who need to create more room for their crowded teeth. The lip bumper is a wire on the lower jaw that extends from one molar to another and keeps lips and cheeks from touching your teeth. When you move your mouth or speak, your lips and cheeks push on the bumper, and the bumper applies pressure to the teeth. This pressure pushes the molars back, creating more space for overcrowded teeth.

If you have a lip bumper, please remember to leave it in while eating, but do not eat hard or sticky foods. Proper, thorough brushing should remove any food that gets stuck in your lip bumper.

Interproximal Contouring

Interproximal contouring refers to a procedure in which Dr. Hassel will reshape your teeth by sculpting the sides of the teeth. This can correct cracked, chipped, crooked or misaligned teeth. Instead of braces, crowns or veneers, you can choose to have interproximal contouring to change the shape and look of your teeth to enhance your smile!