Appliances

An appliance has just been placed in your child’s mouth which has been cemented or bonded to his/her teeth. This appliance is designed to either maintain space for the permanent teeth which are coming in later, or accomplish some minor tooth movement to help your child’s bite develop properly. Ordinarily, this will stay in place, but there are some simple rules that must be followed to insure success of your child’s treatment:

• Proper oral hygiene is especially important when your child is wearing this appliance. Instruct your child to brush the appliance as he/she does his/her teeth.
• Avoid sticky caramel-type candy which may tend to stick to the appliance and loosen it. Don’t play with the appliance with the fingers or tongue as this can also tend to dislodge it.
• Occasionally, a band may come loose. When this happens, it is extremely important that you call our office for an appointment so that we may re-cement the loose appliance.
• If you have been instructed to return for periodic adjustments, it is your responsibility to see that these appointments are made and kept in accordance with recommendations. If this appliance is worn as a space maintainer and no adjustments are necessary, it is important that you make and keep your six-month dental check-ups so that we may periodically evaluate the space maintainer and remove or re-cement it at the appropriate time.
• If you have an expansion appliance that depends on your activation at home, it is imperative that you keep your appointments as scheduled. If you should fail to keep your appointment, please discontinue activating the appliance until the doctor can check your child’s progress.

If you have any questions concerning the necessity for this appliance, or its role in maintaining your child’s dental health , please contact us to clarify these concerns for you at (815) 544-0909.

Care of Removable Orthodontic Appliances

A removable orthodontic appliance has been fabricated explicitly for your child’s mouth. This is used to either maintain space or help correct a developing orthodontic problem. In order to insure success of your child’s treatment, there are some important guidelines which must be followed:

1. The appliance must be worn as much as possible during waking and sleeping hours unless otherwise instructed. The appliance is less likely to be lost or broken if your child keeps it in his/her mouth where it belongs.
   • Whenever it is taken out of the mouth, it should be placed in a safe place and kept moist to avoid warping and distortion. The most common reason for loss or breakage of these appliances are: “My dog/cat ate it” and “I took it out to eat at the restaurant, carefully wrapped it in my napkin, and the waiter threw it away!”
2. Breakage of wires or loss of appliance will necessitate an additional fee for repair or replacement.
3. If a sore spot should develop in your child’s mouth, then call the office immediately for an appointment. The appliance must be worn six hours prior to the office visit so that the sore spot will be present when we examine your child’s mouth and we may see where the proper adjustments need to be made.
4. Proper oral hygiene is essential especially when wearing orthodontic appliances . Immediately after each meal and especially before bedtime, the teeth should be cleaned thoroughly with the appliance out of the mouth. The appliance should be thoroughly brushed with toothpaste as well.
5. It is your responsibility to see that your child’s adjustment appointments are made and kept as per Doctor recommendations.
6. Sticky candy and bubble gum must be avoided while your child wears this appliance and your child is to be instructed not to play with the appliance with his/her fingers or tongue.

If you have any questions concerning the necessity for this appliance, or its role in maintaining your child’s dental health, please contact us to clarify these concerns for you at (815) 544-0909.