Orthognathic Appliance | Pendex Appliance | Headgear/Facemask |
Pendulum Appliance | Herbst
Orthognathic Appliance
An orthognathic appliance, or growth appliance, is used to correct discrepancies in the growth patterns of the jaws and/or cleft palate. There are a number of different growth appliances available to correct these problems. Certain appliances are designed to gently encourage the upper palate to expand allowing for more room for the permanent teeth to grow in, while others are designed to correct overbites that occur due to growth problems. Orthognathic (growth) appliances are designed to create more room for incoming permanent teeth, promote a better bite and/or enhance the facial profile. They are sometimes used for less complex cases that do not require orthognathic surgery.
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Pendex Appliance
The Pendex Appliance is a Pendulum Appliance that uses an expansion screw to widen the upper palate, correcting class II malocclusions and the patient’s bite.
The Pendex Appliance consists of a plastic “button” that touches the roof of the mouth. Within this button, there is a keyhole where you are to place the key and turn it according to your orthodontist’s instructions. This turning will widen the appliance, thus widening your upper palate. Patients usually wear this appliance for three to six months.
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Headgear/Facemask
Headgear is often used to correct an excessive overbite. This is done by placing pressure against the upper teeth and jaw, which would hold the teeth in position or help move them into better positions. The severity of the problem determines the length of time headgear needs to be worn. The key to success with your headgear appliance is consistency. Headgear must be worn a certain number of hours per day, and if not, it must be made up the following day.
Headgear should never be worn while playing sports and should also be removed while eating or brushing your teeth.
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Pendulum Appliance
The Pendulum Appliance is used to correct class II malocclusions by distalizing upper molars. It’s used to correct the patient’s bite on the side of their mouth.
The Pendulum Appliance consists of a plastic “button” that touches the roof of the mouth and resilient wire springs that act in a broad swinging arc to move the molars back. The appliance uses the roof of the mouth as an anchor to move the molars back into their correct positions. Patients usually wear this appliance for three to five months.
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Herbst
One of the most common problems orthodontists treat is the discrepancy that occurs when the upper teeth protrude beyond the lower. Ordinarily, when we see a patient with the upper teeth protruding, we tend to think that the upper jaw and teeth are too far forward; but, more often than not, this condition is due to a small lower jaw that is further back than it should be. With these patients, we would like to encourage the lower jaw to catch up in growth, and braces like the Herbst appliance help this happen.
Even though the Herbst appliance prevents the lower jaw from moving backward, opening and closing movement still occur easily, and patients do not have any problems learning to chew their food with their lower jaw in this new position.
As with all kinds of braces, patients with Herbst appliances need to be careful about what they eat. For instance, cold foods such as ice slushes, Popsicles and ice will freeze the cement and make the brace loosen. Sticky foods such as caramels, bubble gum and candy suckers will pull the brace away from the teeth. Hard foods like crisp vegetables and hard candies will bend and loosen the Herbst appliance, too. So stay away from these foods during your orthodontic treatment.
Your Herbst appliance will be checked and adjusted at your appointments. If, sometimes between appointments, you develop some sore areas on the inside of your cheeks, please do not try to adjust the appliance yourself. Call for an appointment so that the necessary adjustments can be made.
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