555 N Court St. | Rockford IL 61108 (815) 423-4595

Treatments and Appliances in Rockford, IL

Orthodontics is a dental specialty focusing on the alignment of teeth and jaws. By doing this the patient will have a better looking and healthier smile. Because of the variety of diagnosis that Dr. Yang will see, there are a variety of tools that your orthodontist will need to remedy orthodontic problems like an irregular bite, gaps in your teeth, and crooked teeth. Appliances that assist with the alignment of jaws and teeth are fixed dental appliances like braces or removable dental appliances that may be used once the braces are removed. Below is a list of a few orthodontic appliances that may be prescribed by your orthodontist.

Used in the beginning phase of orthodontic treatment, Transpalatal Bar/Nance/Lingual Arch appliances are prescribed by your orthodontist and are used in the upper and lower arches to maintain space. The Transpalatal Bar/Nance are attached to the tongue-sided of the upper first molar bands while the Lingual Arch is attached to the tongue-side of the lower molar bands. They are used in the patients that do not have all their adult teeth. They hold space within the arch allowing permanent teeth to grow.

If your orthodontist notices that you have an overbite he or she may prescribe a removable appliance called a Bionator.  Patients using a Bionator to promote lower jaw growth in the beginning phase of an orthodontic treatment. Bionators are best used during periods of maximum bone growth. Only changes in tooth position will be noticed if the patient does not grow during the time the Bionator is used. Also, the appliance will not be effective is the patient has reached a stage in development orthodontist call skeletal maturity.

If a patient is troubled with an orthodontic problem where their upper front teeth severely overlap the lower front teeth a Biteplane will be prescribed. A biteplane is used to fix a very deep overbite. It prevents the patient from completely biting down all the way on their back teeth allowing them to grow naturally and reducing the overlap of the front teeth. Wearing the biteplane consistently will enable the patient to have a positive result.

Another appliance that is prescribed to assist in fixing smiles and making teeth healthier is called a Bitesplint.  Bitesplints are rubber mouthpieces that are custom fit to be worn on your bottom teeth. A patient may have an issue called crossbite where upper teeth and lower teeth cross each other when the patient is biting down. The bitesplint is worn with upper braces allowing the teeth within the crossbite to move in their correct positions.

As previously mentioned, your orthodontist utilizes a variety of appliances to correct the many orthodontic needs of their patients. If used as prescribed, these appliances will enable patients to correct dental imperfections and have a healthier smile that they can be proud of.

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