Habit Appliance
A habit appliance is useful to help stop a thumb or finger habit and/or to help re-train an improper tongue position or swallowing pattern. It is sometimes necessary to place an appliance to minimize the harm and distortion the habits or tongue posture can have on the teeth. Most habit appliances are banded and cemented to the back molars so they are not removable to aid in compliance. The appliance can be removed by the Doctor when it is deemed necessary.
Space Maintenance
Space maintainers are used to keep teeth from drifting into an empty tooth space due to early loss of primary (baby) teeth. Baby teeth act as a guide for the eruption of the permanent teeth. A space maintainer is made of stainless steel and/or plastic. It can be removable or fixed to the teeth.
Halterman Appliance or Distalizer
Molar adjustment can be accomplished prior to full orthodontic treatment through the use of a Distalizer. This treatment technique can effectively reposition molars that have moved forward due to the early loss of an adjacent tooth or due to the forward eruption of a permanent tooth into another tooth (ectopic eruption).