Orthodontic Appliances – North Grafton, MA

Will I or My Child Need an Orthodontic Appliance?

For some patients, fixing misaligned teeth requires more than just braces or Invisalign. The problem may involve the jawbone or oral cavity. Whether it’s changing your child’s development before braces, making room in the mouth, or preserving the results after traditional treatment is finished, you or your child is set up for a confident smile for life. Here are descriptions of the appliances we provide and how we use them to change lives.

Retainer

Pretty much every orthodontic patient, regardless of their age or what type of treatment they receive, will be asked to wear a retainer once it has been completed. These small appliances keep the freshly shifted teeth in their new positions, because otherwise, they would start to drift back to where they started!

Space Maintainer

Your child’s baby teeth are very important for alignment of the permanent ones. If your child loses a baby tooth too early, the adult teeth can erupt improperly. A space maintainer, which may be fixed or removeable, keeps the gap open for the permanent tooth to come in, potentially reducing orthodontic issues in the future.

Herbst Appliance

In addition to being visually unappealing, an overbite can make biting into food uncomfortable and inefficient. The Herbst appliance can shift the upper molars further back and the lower jaw forward before your child has fully developed. As a result, your child can have plenty of space necessary for healthier bite alignment.

Twin Block Appliance

This treatment consists of two special appliances worn on upper and lower teeth. The twin block appliances can correct uneven bites by retraining the jaw muscles to align properly. Removed only for daily cleaning, these appliances should be worn all the time, including while your child eats.

Palatal Expander

As the name suggests, a palatal expander widens the hard palate. This is necessary if your child has a narrow upper arch and has overcrowded teeth. By expanding the palate, this appliance can also open up your child’s airway, potentially treating sleep-breathing problems like sleep apnea and snoring.

Spacer or Separators

Orthodontic appliances often need to be placed around molars. These teeth tend to be tightly spaced against each other. That’s why we may need to use tiny rubber donuts, called spacers or separators, to create a small separation in between these teeth With that little bit of extra room, the other appliance can fit more comfortably.

Carriere Appliance

Changing the alignment of back teeth involves more complicated orthodontic work. In the past, bulky headgear was used to correct these more stubborn teeth. Fortunately, we have the Carriere appliance to realign and preserve molars, even if they have erupted incorrectly. With this small appliance, your child can feel less self-conscious during treatment.

Tongue Crib

Did you know that sucking a thumb beyond age three can negatively impact a child’s long-term oral development? If other methods of stopping this habit have failed, a tongue crib can help. Basically, the metal appliance is attached to the roof of the mouth and prevents your child from creating suction around the thumb. This appliance also retrains your child to rest their tongue on the mouth floor.

Bionator

Before skeletal maturity, a bionator can treat an overbite while a child is still developing. Although this appliance can be removed, your child must wear it all the time, except while they eat or are cleaning their teeth.

Bite Plate

To prevent upper front teeth from drastically covering the lower front teeth, a bite plate doesn’t allow the molars to touch. This means the front teeth have to do most of the chewing, and you may experience some difficulty with speech at first. This appliance is usually used at the beginning of orthodontic treatment.