Removable Appliances In Orthodontics

What Is A removable Appliance?

A removable appliance is just what it sounds like; an orthodontic brace that can be taken out of the mouth. It is basically a single piece of coated wire that can be placed over your teeth, ti does not involve brackets,a s those need to be fixed to the teeth. They exert force in roughly the same manner that regular braces do, except there is no need to tighten them. They are made of galvanized stainless steel and are quite easy to clean and use. You just need to pop them in for the allotted amount of time, and just take them out and clean them whenever it becomes necessary to do so.

Differences Between Removable Appliances And Fixed Braces

Not all orthodontic issues can be solved with removable appliances, sadly. The removable appliances can retain teeth to stay in their realigned position, this is one of the functions the device is primarily used for. The removable device can only fix teeth that can be realigned through tipping motions, so it can only affect the tilt of the tooth, and the angle which it stands in. These devices cannot rotate teeth at angles, and also cannot apply pressure (torque) to the root of the teeth either. They do help anchor teeth into their correct position, however, they cannot provide the complex multi-tooth movement in several directions that a fixed appliance can provide. Removable orthodontic appliances are also great in curing someone of their overbite, but are ineffective in the treatment of an underbite.  

Removable appliances cause less discomfort, can be cleaned easily, and are much cheaper than a regular fixed orthodontic appliance. So if you are thinking of getting orthodontic treatment, ask your dentist if removable orthodontic appliances are right for you!

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