Your child’s braces are finally coming off! Excitement is high…until the orthodontist explains that your child will still have to wear some form of final retention device to maintain the tooth straightening that has been accomplished. As soon as those braces come off, teeth can begin a slow migration back to their old positions. A final retainer helps keep the teeth in place so they stay in their new positions.

The good news? Your child will likely get to pick and personalize from many different custom retainer colors and designs.
  

Chronic bruxism may lead to sensitive, decayed, fractured, loose or missing teeth. Grinding or clenching breaks down enamel and can eventually wear teeth down. The absence of enamel makes it easier for bacteria to penetrate the softer part of teeth and produce cavities. As long as bruxism continues, the situation worsens.

Successful management of bruxism depends firstly upon determining whether or not it is caused by a sleep disorder. If this is the case, treat the sleep problem first. Once it has been confirmed that there is no sleep dysfunction, the focus should be on minimizing the abrasion of tooth surfaces by the wearing of a dental splint on the individual’s upper or lower teeth.  When you consider the need tor interceptive care — not just for children, but adults as well — the message is clear:

The essence of Splint Therapy (and this discussion) is that potentially EVERYBODY NEEDS IT.

SPLINT THERAPY and the TALON^® SPLINT

Splint therapy is often the means of treatment which, initiated early, can provide your patients with the best long term care, save them money…and make you some, as well. The dentist plays a key role at three procedural levels: screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Andra Gauge Captures the Ideal Bite Registration that is Precise, Accurate, and Reproducible

Benefits:
The Andra Gauge is the only disposable single-use bite registration device available that can dial in and lock in place the anterior, posterior, vertical, and sagittal position of the mandible in relation to the maxilla, making it the perfect vehicle for capturing the ideal bite registration that is precise, accurate and reproducible.

Ideal For:

• Sleep Apnea Appliances

• TMD/TMJ Splints
• Bruxim Splints
• Functional Orthodontic Appliances
• Neuromuscular Dentistry

Adjustment Range:

• Anterior - Posterior - 5mm retruded to 7mm protruded

• Mid-line - 3.0 mm left - 3.0 right

• Vertical - 2mm minimum to 7mm maximum

Andra Gauge: $14.60 each   Code: 330-207   

For more information, click here.
 

So many people have problems sleeping or they may not breath correctly while sleeping.  Appliance Therapy can be the answer and patients will be happy with help with their sleep issues.

Every patient is unique, every sleep disorder the result of patient-specific habits and conditions. As such, careful selection of the proper appliance for the individual patient is vital to ensuring treatment success. 

Providing superior fit, retention and comfort, the SML™ Dorsal utilizes precision-milled upper and lower occlusal splints to open the vertical relationship while holding the mandible in the desired forward position. Interlocking buccal inclines allow a desirable degree of mandibular lateral movement, thus alleviating muscle trismus.

As an orthodontist, you know that a certain number of patients just aren’t going to wear their retainer consistently no matter what you say to them or how many times you say it. That being said, it comes as no small surprise that relapse is as common as it is.

Consider the Bloore Aligner. Because you can’t force these patients to wear their retainer and you’ll never get them to go back into brackets once relapse begins, you need options!

The Bloore Aligner is an ideal choice for correcting minor crowding in the upper or lower incisors – without requiring braces.

You may think that you have to lose all of your teeth in order to be a candidate for dentures, but if you have several missing teeth, partial dentures can be a better option. Most partial dentures are made of acrylic over a metal base. They may be considered a metal partial denture, but they look real. Question is…are partial dentures worth the expense and trouble? For your consideration:

The Role Of Clear Aligners In The Management Of Airway Dysfunction Using Combination
Sleep Appliance Therapy
A Featured Lecture By Rob Veis, DDS
Dentistry is experiencing two parallel and related growth trends: clear aligner treatment and the care for sleep-disordered breathing. In 2021, over 650,000 patients in North America sought clear aligner treatment as a result of a steady 28% year-over-year growth. Moreover, approximately 3.5 million sleep tests were performed in the U.S. this past year, with nearly 13% growth annually. Given the high prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), it is not surprising that dental practitioners see many patients who show signs of OSA that need treatment and may also require or desire minor tooth crowding correction.  

Even more than dentists, orthodontists rely on a variety of different appliances, products and orthodontic dental lab supplies to help their patients obtain a beautiful and straight smile. Not a day goes by when a typical orthodontist doesn’t need to use bonding, brackets, bands, coil springs, archwires, elastics, palatal expanders, pliers, face bows or retainers.

Should you ever run short (or out) of these often crucial items, it could prove embarrassing, counter-productive, or even disastrous.  That is why it is so important to work with a reliable lab that will stock and deliver your orthodontic dental lab supplies on time and in working order. 

Is your current lab is late or sloppy or just bottom-line useless?  There is a better way. Consider SML (Space Maintainers Laboratories) for all of your appliance, product and orthodontic dental lab supplies needs. 

Ask ten orthodontists their opinion of the lingual bonded retainer, and you are sure to get ten different answers. Some orthodontists love them, others hate them. Most fall somewhere in the middle. Why are some orthodontists so squarely in the bonded retainer camp while others are so against it?

The Pros of the Lingual Bonded Retainer

Perhaps the biggest benefit of a choosing a bonded retainer is avoiding the common compliance issues encountered with removable retainer patients. Teens (and even adults) may wear their retainer for a while, but eventually they stop, and their teeth begin to shift. The best way to ensure that the teeth stay in place is with a bonded retainer. If they can’t take it out, they won’t.

Cons of the Bonded Retainer

Bonded retainers make it difficult for patients (and dental hygienists) to effectively clean the retained teeth. Also, the bonded retainer can only maintain the position of the teeth to which it is bonded.  Finally, a bonded retainer demands regular monitoring, because patients often are unable to tell when a tooth becomes un-bonded.

Best advice? Recognize that every patient is unique. While a bonded retainer might be appropriate for some patients…it won’t be for others.   Contact SMLGlobal for more information.