Carrier Appliance

Advantages of the Carriere Appliance

October 2nd, 2017

Lakewood Park Orthodontics is excited to now be using the Carriere Motion Appliance for our Class II orthodontic cases! The Carriere appliance can shorten treatment time and reduce the amount of time spent in wires and brackets. The appliance is barely visible and there is even a clear option for those who would like an even more concealed look.
A class II malocclusion is a very common bite that we see among our patients. With a Class II bite the upper teeth are forward of the lower teeth. This causes an ‘overbite’. We usually treat Class II malocclusions with elastics (sometimes a headgear is also needed at a young age if the malocclusion is significant). Elastics are typically used to fix the bite at the end of treatment. But sometimes patients are ‘burnt out’ by the end of treatment, they are not enthusiastic and therefore their compliance is not up to par. Unfortunately, elastics are only effective if the patient is compliant. With the Carriere appliance, we are able to use the elastics in the beginning of treatment -before the braces even go on. Fixing the malocclusion in the beginning of treatment, when the patient is most compliant, can reduce total treatment time. Plus, it reduces the amount of time spent in wires and brackets making treatment easier on the patients.