orthodontic appliances

At Dental Specialists of New York, we use a variety of appliances in conjunction with orthodontic treatment in order to provide you with a straight smile. Some of these appliances include:

Palatal expanders

A palatal expander gradually widens your upper jaw by putting gentle pressure on your upper molars each time an adjustment is made. After achieving the desired expansion, you will wear the appliance for several months to solidify the new jaw alignment and to prevent regression.

Appliances

Elastics

Wearing elastics (or rubber bands) on your braces improves the fit of your upper and lower teeth. You should wear your rubber bands as instructed by Dr. Barillas to make sure they work as efficiently as possible.

Headgear

Headgear is used to treat patients who have overbites or underbites. This appliance gently “pulls” on your teeth to restrict further forward growth of your upper teeth and jaw.

Appliances

Separators or spacers

We may need to use separators to create space between your teeth. They look like little rubber doughnuts, and they help to gently push your teeth apart to make space for orthodontic bands. The separators will be removed when we place the bands at your following appointment.

The Herbst® appliance

The Herbst® appliance reduces overbite by encouraging the lower jaw forward and the upper molars backward. This fixed appliance is used mostly for younger, growing children and is worn for about 12-15 months.

Appliances

Positioners

Positioners are used to complete the final tooth movements in your orthodontic treatment. You should only need to wear a positioner appliance for 4-8 weeks.

Retainers

Wearing your retainer is crucial to prevent regression of your treatment. Retainers hold your teeth in their new, correct positions after your teeth have been straightened. We offer both fixed and removable retainers - you can visit our retainers page to learn more about them.

Appliances

Have a question about our appliances?

Contact us over the phone, or set up a free consultation at one of our convenient locations.

Appliances