Will A Dental Device Move My Teeth?

Will A Dental Device Move My Teeth?

by San Antonio, TX sleep expert Dr. Richard Drake

Video Transcript

It depends on a number of things. A custom dental device looks a lot like a retainer on steroids. It is substantially stronger than most retainers that your orthodontist might make you. A simple suck-down type retainer from your orthodontist, when worn at night, will keep most patients’ teeth straight for years. The difference between the two is that when we utilize both an upper and lower custom oral appliance that are hooked together. And the purpose of those two devices is to keep your jaw from falling down and back.

That additional forces are placed on your teeth and your jaw. If you think back to high school physics class, you will recall that force vectors show us what is being pushed or pulled upon. In this case, the resultant force vectors tend to want to move the upper front teeth back and the lower front teeth forward. Please note that this is why we stress the importance of utilizing the AM aligner to help recapture your bite and minimize any unwanted side effects. Teeth movement, bite changes, jaw issues are all a possible side effect, and we do all that we can to minimize them. Keep in mind also that these effects take time to occur. And very often, they can be managed appropriately. And that the benefits of more oxygen, better sleep, and living longer far outweigh the chance that teeth might move a little or bite might change. We take all of these things very seriously, and we’ll continually monitor these types of things for changes.