In addition to braces, Sawyer Creek Orthodontics often utilizes supplementary appliances and techniques to create the best possible smile for our patients:
Elastics (rubber bands) move the teeth in a direction that cannot be accomplished with braces alone. Typically, elastics are worn near the end of a patient’s treatment to assist the doctors in fine tuning the bite.
If you are still growing and have an overbite, headgear can help to modify the growth pattern of the jaws. Headgear helps to control the growth of the upper jaw while the lower jaw continues to grow naturally. Headgear can be worn either prior to or in conjunction with braces.
For more information, visit the Invisalign page of our website.
Lip bumpers are worn to help gain space for crowded lower teeth. The lower lip provides a gentle force against the lip bumper to move the molars back, creating the space necessary to align the teeth.
Rapid maxillary expanders (RME) are most often used for patients who have a narrow upper jaw or crossbite. It gently widens the upper arch until the proper width is established.
Retainers are worn to stabilize the results of orthodontic treatment and prevent the teeth from moving back to their original position.
If a deciduous molar is lost prematurely, a space maintainer is often inserted to hold the permanent molars in place until the remaining permanent teeth erupt.
An orthopedic jaw repositioning appliance often used to treat patients experiencing temporomandibular joint (TMJ) symptoms. Splints do not move teeth but will help muscles which are in spasm to relax and possibly reduce pain.
For more information, visit the SureSmile page of our website.