11 Ways to Enhance a Schwarz Appliance

Think about adding these things to your next Schwarz Appliance to enhance treatment and make life easier for you.

One of the most basic, “Bread & Butter”, appliances in the arsenal of the functional orthodontic doctor is the Schwarz Appliance. Thousands are fitted every day. They come in upper or lower, mixed or permanent dentition and are used to develop the jaws to the correct width.

Here are 11 additions you can make to a basic Schwarz Appliance to make it work better for you and your patient, creating a better result and less time needed in brackets;

1.                  Add occlusal cover in open bite cases to control the vertical dimension.

2.                  Add anterior lap springs to align anterior teeth.

3.                  Add a 3D screw to develop the premaxilla area.

4.                  Add a single crossover wire to move the midline

5.                  Add double crossover wires to close a diastema

6.                  Add occlusal coverage to allow trapped anterior teeth to move over the bite

7.                  Add an anterior bite plane to intrude lower anterior teeth

8.                  Add individual anterior springs to de rotate anteriors

9.                  Add screws either uni or bilaterally to distalize molars

10.              Add secondary anchorage  in the form of ball clasps or elbow clasps

11.              Add a splash of colour or an acrylic design to encourage co operation