Bar on Herbst Appliance has come out

If you open wide it is possible that the components of the Herbst will come apart.  Generally this can be fixed by once again opening wide and lining up the end of the piston with the end of the tube. BE CERTAIN NOT TO BITE HARD UNTIL THE PISTON IS ENTIRELY INSIDE OF THE TUBE. This might cause you to bend the piston which would not allow proper movement of the piston in the tube.  It is best to gently "jiggle" the components with your fingers as you attempt to work the piston back into the tube.

Broken Retainer

Do not attempt to wear your appliance if it is significantly broken.  Sometimes a small chip off of the plastic may not make much of a difference with regards to wear and comfort and in this case you can continue to wear the appliance until you schedule a visit.  Generally a broken appliance will require you to schedule a visit for an impression which will be used to attempt repair of the appliance or to fabricate a new appliance.  Try to call the office as soon as possible to schedule an appointment.

If a separator (spacer) has come out this information may be helpful.  First of all separators are placed to create space between two teeth so that bands can be placed around the teeth.  If a spacer comes out this may or not be a problem.  Sometimes the separator will have created a sufficient amount of space to make it very difficult for the spacer to stay in.  One way to check for this is to take a piece of dental floss and to pass it between the teeth where the spacer was.  If the floss passes through very easily you may have sufficient space.  If the contact between the teeth is tight a spacer will be necessary.  In either case you can try to reposition the spacer into the contact area if the spacer has not been lost.  This can be done by using two pieces of dental floss as handles on the spacer.  Take one 6-8 inch long piece of floss and pass it through the separator.  Pull the two ends together making a U-shape around the separator (see figure #1).  Do the same with the other piece of floss on the opposite side of the separator so that you now have two handles that will allow you to stretch the separator (see figure #2).  Once this is accomplished floss the stretched separator through the contact so that the bottom part of the separator passes below the contact between the teeth and the upper part remains above the contact area (see figure #3).  If done properly the separator should encircle the contact point between the two teeth.  Once the separator has been properly positioned  remove one piece of floss at a time by releasing one of the ends and gently tease the floss out of the spacer.  Be careful not to tug too hard on the floss in order to avoid pulling the separator out of the contact area.  

Send mail to Admin@AlbaOrthodontics.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: December 24, 2009