2333 Knob Creek Rd Suite 10
Johnson City, TN 37604
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Call Now, We're Open!
(423) 524-9202
Orthodontic Appliances
There are a variety of orthodontic appliances that can put you on the fast track to your new smile! At Local Orthodontics in Johnson City, we provide a number of orthodontic appliances, and most are at no extra cost to you! We do this because every patient’s case is unique and every patient has different needs.
Our goal is to help you achieve the greatest possible results, and these appliances can help us get there!
TADs
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, but other teeth don’t. TADs enable us to treat individual teeth with greater efficiency.
These anchorage devices appear as tiny metal buttons, strategically implanted into an area of the jaw bone. A small wire or elastic may be attached to the TAD to connect it with the specific tooth (or teeth) in need of treatment.
Propel and VPro+
The Propel Orthodontics VPro+ is an advanced orthodontic device that accelerates tooth movement using high-frequency vibrations. The VPRO+ stimulates bone turnover and healthy inflammatory cells to enable faster results and more predictable treatment with clear aligners, braces treatment, or treatment with certain orthodontic appliances (like TADs).
This device only requires 5-minute sessions each day, and can shorten treatment periods by 50%. Ask us how you can use Propel to get faster results!
Palatal Expander (RPE)
Palatal expanders serve to widen the upper jaw to create the necessary space for teeth to erupt into healthy alignment without crowding. These appliances are typically used for children whose jaw bones are still developing.
The rapid palatal expander (the most common type of palatal expander) is bonded to the upper molars on both sides of the top jaw, with a screw located in the center of the appliance. To activate the palatal expander, you’ll insert a special key to turn the center screw, which expands the device and widens the palate slowly.
Use only as instructed by Dr. Jewett, and you should notice a space that opens between the two front teeth!
Nance Appliance
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.
Reverse-Pull Headgear (Facemask)
The reverse-pull headgear (facemask) is an incredibly effective appliance used to promote proper alignment of the jaw bones for young kids. It works by pulling the upper jaw forward. This appliance treats underbite conditions that may otherwise require jaw surgery to correct. This appliance can be incredibly helpful for young patients, ages 7-10.
Banded Bite Plate
A banded bite plate serves to correct a deep bite (overbite) condition. This appliance fits behind the upper, front teeth, and disables the rear teeth from meeting when the mouth is closed, which allows these posterior teeth to develop properly. Over several months, the deep bite will become corrected!
Lower Lingual Arch (Space Maintainer)
The lower lingual holding arch (space maintainer) uses metal bands around the two lower molars, with a metal wire spanning from the molars, around the inside of the bottom teeth. Used to hold the necessary space in the mouth for premolars to grow, the lower lingual arch appliance establishes the proper foundation that shapes the lower arch in a healthy alignment.
D2 Appliance
The D2 Appliance uses a bonded metal wire on the top teeth, with a rubber band attached to a bracket on the bottom teeth, to shift the upper teeth backward and the lower teeth forward. This appliance is effective for treating severe overbites/overjets using a continuous elastic force. The appliance can also be used to treat an underbite when bonded to the bottom teeth.
Trans-Palatal Arch Appliance (TPA)
The Trans-Palatal Appliance uses two metal bands, fitted over the rear teeth (typically the molars), and a curved wire that spans across the palate to connect the molar bands. This appliance serves to stabilize the teeth to hold them in place, while rotating the molars into the desired position.
Schwartz Appliance
The Schwartz Appliance is similar to a palatal expander, but serves to widen the teeth in the lower jaw instead of the upper jaw. When arch width in the lower jaw is too narrow and teeth are crowding and overlapping each other, a Schwartz Appliance can be used to push the teeth upright to a healthy position over the bone. This also helps create the necessary space for teeth to emerge.
Inman Appliance
The Inman Appliance, or Inman Aligner, is used to align the front teeth. This appliance fits around the top teeth or bottom teeth, spanning the entire arch or just the front teeth. Metal wires exert pressure on the front of the teeth and the back of the teeth to shift them efficiently in as little as 4 to 10 weeks for minor relapse treatment.
Quad-Helix Appliance
Quad-Helix Appliances widen the upper jaw with metal bands around the top molars and active helix springs lining the arch. These appliances are usually fixed, and they are effective for treating crossbites and crowding.
CS5 Spring Appliance
For adult patients with skeletal asymmetries, the CS System is a helpful appliance that can be used with braces to apply a constant force, stronger than rubber bands, to the teeth to fix severe underbite problems. Using the CS5 system is sometimes an acceptable alternative to jaw surgery for orthodontic correction of an underbite.
Pendulum Appliance
The Pendulum Appliance is hidden in the roof of the mouth and used to shift the molar teeth to create the necessary room for other teeth to erupt in alignment. This appliance treats crowding and various bite misalignments by using metal bands around the back molars, wires bonded to the middle teeth, and an acrylic plate that rests behind the front teeth.
During your complimentary consultation with Dr. Jewett, he will assess your smile and bite to determine whether an orthodontic appliance is best for you!
If you have questions about any of the appliances we offer, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We want to answer all of your questions!
