Active Retainers

Is there anyway to correct mild cases without braces and that is still less than Invisalign®?

Many adults may acquire mild crowding in their lower teeth due to mild persistent growth of their lower jaw. Normally, this presents as crowding in the lower front teeth with excessive biting on the upper front teeth, even excessive wear or breakage to the edges. In other words, as the lower jaw grows forward, the lower front teeth run into the backs of the upper front teeth and the lower teeth begin to buckle. (This can actually lead to backward pressure of the lower jaw and can develop into joint pain in the TMJs known as Temporomandibular Disorder or TMD. Such cases require full braces to pull the lower teeth back away from the bite.)

The patient above presented with such a case; note the fractures edges of the front teeth and poor alignment of the lower front teeth.

Instead of braces, an Active Spring Retainer can be worn to align the teeth by providing simple pressure to specific areas of each tooth. Though not capable of significant tooth movement in the back of the mouth, front teeth can be aligned within four to eight months. An example of the spring retainer used has been illustrated below along with the finished models. After the alignment was completed, the front teeth were restored by a general dentist.