Ray Vanderhook, D.D.S., M.S.

Types of Appliances

Retainers | Expander | Headgear | Spacers | Bite Plane

Retainers

Please wear your upper retainer 24 hours-a-day. You may take your retainer out your retainer to eat – put it in your case each time – DON’T lay it on a table or wrap it in a napkin – you might lose it! If you don’t have your case with you, please leave your retainer in to eat.

Keep your retainer away from heat – the plastic will warp.
Keep your retainer away from pets – they love to chew on them!
Brush your retainer with a toothbrush and toothpaste to keep it clean. Peroxide will sterilize it if needed.
Leave your retainer in to chew gum – find a brand like Wrigley’s Freedent^® that won’t stick to the plastic.
Your lower retainer has been bonded to your teeth – be careful with it today by not biting into anything hard (like carrots).
Your upper retainer is to be worn all the time for one year, then just at night for the second year, so take good care of it!
Your lower retainer will remain in place until a decision has been made about your wisdom teeth – whether they will grow in satisfactory or have to be removed.

Call the office with any problems you may have with either retainer.

Congratulation on getting your braces off!!

Expanders

Your expander is going to widen the roof of your mouth one-fourth of one millimeter per turn. This is not a lot per turn, but over a period of a couple weeks this will give is the expansion we need.

Turn your expander one-time-a-day for two weeks. We will see you in two weeks to determine if you need any more turns. If you need to cancel that appointment, PLEASE STOP YOUR TURNS until we see you. You should try to turn your expander at the same time every day (preferably in the evening after dinner).
When you turn your expander – PLACE the KEY into the HOLE, PUSH straight back until the key STOPS. When you look at the expander you should SEE the HOLES for the NEXT TURN. PULL the KEY straight DOWN. Always try the key into the next hole for your next turn.
DO NOT play with the expander with your tongue. This could undo your turns and make your tongue sore.
Try to stay away from sticky foods like peanut butter. This will stick to your expander. NO GUM OR STICKY CANDY. You may suck on a lollypop. We do not want anything floating around in your mouth that you could choke on.
You may notice a space form between your two front teeth. You may also feel pressure around your nose or in the sinus area. You may take Advil or Tylenol for an discomfort.

Headgear

Headgear Instructions

Wearing Time:

1st Day: Wear headgear for three hours
2nd Day: Put your headgear in one hour before going to bed, and try to wear it all night
3rd Day: Try wearing your headgear for 12 hours today and from now on

PLEASE USE THIS SCHEDULE AS A SUGGESTION ONLY! Your teeth may become sore, so please feel free to adjust the initial wearing time to suit your needs. Your goal is to be able to wear the headgear for 12 hours a day.

Please follow these SAFETY RULES:

Avoid eating hard or sticky foods (hard pretzels, ice, hard candy, taffy, caramels, bubblegum, etc.) which will break the bands on the back teeth. These bands support the headgear.
Don't attempt to adjust, put on, or remove the headgear with the strap connected.
Don't allow other people to pull on, play with, or snap the wire facebow while it is in your mouth.
If one of the bands on your teeth comes loose, please call our office so we can make an appointment for you to come in and have it re-cemented. Don't wear your headgear if you have a loose band.
Bring your headgear with you to your appointments.

Spacers

Why do I need spacers?

Spacers make a slight space between back teeth so that we can get your back ring brace on at your next appointment.

How will it feel?

For the first three to four hours spacers will feel like food caught between your back teeth. You may even bite or bounce on them when you bite down, that’s normal. After the first few hours, you can expect to have some mild soreness of your back teeth. This soreness will sometimes last for 48-71 hours. Use an over the counter pain reliever like Tylenol^® or Advil^® once or twice a day as needed for discomfort (take each pain reliever as directed on the bottle).

How am I going to eat with spacers?

You can eat anything you are comfortable eating. If you have soreness, then choose to eat softer foods for the next day or two.

Can I still chew gum?

Anything that sticks to the spacers will pull them out so AVOID GUM CHEWING and STICKY CANDY (like caramels or taffy). You can eat ice cream, chocolate, and other non-sticky candy.

Do I still brush my teeth?

Yes! Continue to brush normally even over the spacers, but DON’T FLOSS around the spacers or pick at them.

What if a spacer falls out?

Spacers do loosen up and fall out sometimes after they have made enough space (there is no harm if a spacer is swallowed). Check with a piece of floss where the spacer was, and if it isn’t tight between your teeth then there should be enough space to place your brackets. If you have removed the spacer with your fingers or a piece of sticky candy, then call the office to check with us. We may need to replace the spacer in order to place your braces.

Bite Plane

Your goal is to wear your bite plane all the time, all day, all night, and even while eating. You may your bite plane out to eat at first. Once you are used to it, start eating soft foods, then go to regular foods. When you come back to your next appointment you should be able to eat all foods.
When you take your bite plane our – PLEASE put it in the case. DO NOT lay it on a table, wrap it in a napkin or put it in your pocket without being the case. You will lose it!
Keep your bite plane away from heat – the plastic will warp.
Keep your bite plane away from your pets – they love to chew on it.
Take your bite plane out to brush – brush it with toothpaste. Peroxide will sterilize it if needed.
Let us know if your bite plane feels loose or if there is a sharp place. If you lose or break your bite plane there is a charge to replace or repair it.
Call our office with any problems or questions.