History of Orthodontics
- Dento-facial Orthopaedics originated in Europe
- Edward Angle introduced Fixed Orthodontics to the United States
- Norman William Kingsley demonstrated jumping the bite with an anterior bite plate
- Hotz developed the Vorbissplate, a modification of Kingsley's plate
- Wilhelm Roux studied the effects of functional forces on Orthodontics in 1883
Development of Functional Appliances
- Pierre Robin developed the Monobloc in 1902, one of the first functional appliances
- Viggo Andersen developed the widely accepted Activator appliance in 1908
- Emil Herbst introduced the Herbst Appliance in 1905, later revived by Hans Pancherz in the 1970s
- Wilhem Balters modified Andersen's Activator and created the Bionator Appliance
- Harold Kesling developed the Positioner Appliance in 1944 for the finishing stage of treatment
Passive Components of Removable Appliances
- Labial bow provides retention for incisor teeth, usually with U-Loops at the end
- Adams clasps are used for retention, typically fabricated in the molar areas
- C clasps are used on canines
- Southend Clasp is used on anteriors
- Ball-ended clasp is primarily used with the Twin Block system in the lower anteriors
Active Components of Removable Appliances
- Springs provide light forces to move teeth orthodontically
- Palatal Finger Springs move teeth buccally or lingually
- Buccal Canine Retractor brings a buccally placed canine more lingual
- Z-Spring moves one or two teeth labially
- T-Spring moves teeth labially
Springs and Wires in Removable Appliances
- Springs made of 0.5mm thick stainless steel wire move one tooth
- Thicker wire (0.6 or 0.7mm) is used to move more teeth or larger/multi-rooted teeth
- Coffin Spring is used for expansion and can replace a screw in an expansion device
- Active Labial Bows, such as Mills Bow or Roberts retractor, move teeth labially
- Screws and elastics are also considered active components in removable functional appliances
This is a comprehensive list of functional appliances that are used in the field of orthodontics. The functional appliances can be divided into fixed and removable. The fixed functional appliances have to be bonded to the teeth by an orthodontist. A removable functional appliance does not need to be bonded on the teeth and can be removed by the patient. A removable appliance is usually used by patients who have high degree of compliance with their orthodontic treatment. Fixed appliances are able to produce very accurate movement in the teeth
Both fixed and removable functional appliances can be used to correct a malocclusion in three planes: Anterior-Posterior, Vertical and Transverse.
In the Anterior-Posterior dimension, appliances such as Class II and Class III are used. Appliances used in transverse dimension are utilised to expand either the maxillary or the mandibular arch. Appliances used in the vertical dimension are used to correct open or deep bite.
