Between the ages of 11 and 15 is the most common time for orthodontic treatment, and for good reasons. By 12, most if not all of the permanent teeth have erupted and are in place, and crooked teeth, gaps and bad bites can easily be detected. These problems will rarely correct themselves, so this is when most parents decide to seek adolescent orthodontic treatment.
We do make every effort not to extract permanent teeth. This can be aided with early treatment methods such as expansion of the jaws and moving of upper molars. There are however times where tooth removal is unavoidable.
We do not use headgear. Instead, we use tooth movement systems such as the Carriere appliance and Forsus springs for jaw correction
Forsus Springs
A Forsus appliance is a fixed appliance that works on the upper and lower teeth at the same time. It works by pulling the top teeth back and pushing the bottom teeth forward so that your bite matches up. This device effectively has eliminated the use for a long headgear treatment.
Carriere Tooth Movement System
The Carriere Distalizer is an orthodontic device developed to correct a bite without removing permanent teeth when teeth have erupted incorrectly. With an effect similar to headgear, but without the use of a bulky appliance, the Carriere Distalizer pushes upper teeth back to create a corrected bite prior to the addition of braces
Higgins Crossbow Appliance
The appliance is used to correct upper jaw narrowness as well and lower jaw shortness. This has effectively replaced the headgear in our practice . It is fixed in place for maximum effectiveness and eliminates poor results due to poor cooperation.
The Higgins Crossbow is comprised of a upper expansion appliance or RPE or rapid palatal expander and a lower device which is connected to the RPE by 3 m forsus springs to advance the lower jaw orthopedically into correct jaw alignment. Braces are still needed to correct tooth alignment and position.