| abstract |
A removable orthodontic appliance repositions misaligned anterior teeth with a plurality of springs and a labial wire each secured to an acrylic palatal fitting. Each spring has a head portion in the shape of an eyelet which is positioned on the lingual side of an anterior tooth and a foot portion secured to the fitting. The springs provide lingual-to-labial force to the teeth, and the labial wire provides labial-to-lingual force to the teeth. A spring may engage the lingual surface of a tooth to provide active force to urge the tooth labially into a proper position, or may be spaced away from a tooth at a desired position to engage the tooth as it move lingually. The springs may be positioned on a mesial or a distal surface of a tooth to induce rotation. Further, the springs may provide passive resistance to maintain a properly positioned tooth in place. Each spring is made of a single strand of wire which has one end terminating at the head portion and the other end terminating at the foot portion. The orthodontic appliance also has a pair of stress-breaking clasps which dislodge the appliance if the labial wire or the springs are too heavily activated. |