Habit Appliances

Tongue Trainers

 

We place tongue training wires on the lower teeth. The purpose of these wires is to discourage the forward posturing of the tongue ("tongue thrust") which contributes to the vertical space between the upper and lower front teeth, known as an open bite.

 

To help you adjust to them, please cover these wires with the wax we have given you for at least the first 48 hours. It is important to dry off the wires with tissue to help the wax stay in place. It is all right to continue using the wax longer than the first two days.

 

Please be careful not to bite into any hard foods and avoid sticky candy or bubble gum (one stick of sugar free gum at a time is OK). These foods can bend and break the tongue wires, resulting in extra appointments to make new wires. You may wish to eat softer foods and take smaller bites the first few days.

 

Your speech may take one to two days to adapt to the new wires. Practice reading out loud at home and repeat any words that your new tongue position has difficulty making.

 

Thumb Guards

 

For patients with a thumb sucking habbit we use a non-punitive approach of blocking access to the roof of the mouth which prevents the suction which is considered the addictive component of a thumb habit.

 

For this appliance, we use a traditional "hard" expander ("rapid palatal expander" / "RPE") that is made with thicker wires so that can't be bent by thumb pressure.  This traditional appliance serves as a base to which we add cross wires for better coverage of the roof of the mouth.

 

Your speech may take one to two days to adapt to the new wires. Practice reading out loud at home and repeat any words that your new tongue position has difficulty making.

 

If we also need to widen the upper teeth, please use the key to turn the screw twice a week as we have shown you. While some patients can turn the expander themselves, many have a parent, using a small flashlight for better vision, insert the key and turn it towards the back of the mouth. You should feel some slight pressure when it is activated. Please call the office for further instructions if you are unable to turn the key.