Orthodontic Appliances

Damon® Brackets

The Damon bracket offers several benefits for patients. It is made from stainless steel for stability and has a rounded structure to improve patient comfort while maintaining overall performance.

The Damon System uses a self-ligation technique utilizing lighter wires and lower-friction brackets to move teeth, while resulting in faster treatment times due to its slide mechanism; strong, mechanical base bonding; and solid walls structured to control tooth movement with speed and efficiency.

In addition to greater comfort, the Damon System makes it easier to maintain good hygiene because it’s easier to keep clean. This contributes to greater health, happiness and physical attractiveness for the duration of patient treatment.

The Carriere^® Motion 3D™ Class II Appliance

When considering orthodontic treatment, many people think mainly about straightening teeth. Fixing your bite is just as important, and doing it first can make treatment simpler and faster. The Carriere Motion Appliance is bonded to your teeth in the first phase of your treatment. Along with elastics, the appliance delivers a natural, gentle, and uniform force for molar movement with controlled rotation and tipping correction before brackets are placed.

The Motion Appliance is aesthetically pleasing and often hardly noticeable in your mouth. While wearing this appliance, it is easy to brush your teeth, leading to potentially improved oral hygiene compared to other appliances. When the desired movement is reached, your Motion Appliance will be removed and braces will be placed to complete your orthodontic care.

TADs

TADs are miniscrew anchors which are inserted into specific places in the mouth to be used as a fixed point from which teeth can move. Before TADs, orthodontists who wanted to move some teeth while keeping others still, or to achieve orthodontic movement in a mouth with missing teeth, had to rely on headgear for their fixed point. But TADs now provide an option for that fixed point that is smaller, more discrete, more efficient and requires significantly less work for the patient.

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. 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 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.

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. We prefer to correct tongue thrusting by giving patients a tongue thrusting appliance. This appliance, similar to a mouth guard, is usually worn at night. Other times, a more permanent appliance is prescribed and can be only be adjusted by our office.