Patients requiring orthodontic care may be surprised to find that orthodontics doesn’t just deal with braces. For orthodontists in the field, straightening teeth is an art form that requires a lot of technical skill to achieve. These dentists focus on one key concept to help patients straighten their teeth: anchorage. Anchorage refers to how to leverage resistance to move the teeth into the desired position, and for patients with more complex dental issues, one of the ways that orthodontists tend to create anchorage is through the use of temporary anchorage devices.
What Are TADS and How Do They Work?
Temporary anchorage devices, abbreviated as TADS, are screw-like mini implants that are used as an alternative anchorage point for straightening teeth. In normal circumstances, straightening teeth typically requires the use of your natural teeth as an anchor point. However, in rarer cases, sometimes the jaw’s bone structure, tooth health, and soft tissues of the mouth can affect the potency of those anchorage points, creating weaker areas that are considered unstable for straightening teeth.
Orthodontists in this situation will often need to rely on other measures to create anchorage and resistance. One of the ways to do that is to use external forces created by custom headgear to sustain that anchor point. However, headgear is typically considered an outdated, unpleasing measure only used in certain circumstances to achieve the necessary points of resistance. This is where TADS comes in.
Temporary anchorage devices help avoid this problem by offering an alternative solution for sustaining teeth anchorage points. Through the use of these mini-implants, dentists can use these implants as an anchorage point to support tooth movement and eliminate the need for headgear, elastics, and oral surgery to correct alignment issues.
The Benefits of Temporary Anchorage Devices
Temporary anchorage devices are similar to dental implants in their construction and design but ultimately operate for different purposes. When patients are recommended these devices for tooth movement, they’re often able to experience high success rates with their orthodontic treatment because of the following:
- No Need For Osseointegration: TADs don’t require osseointegration to be installed. Unlike traditional implants, TADs are temporary, meaning they do not mend in with the jawbone or form any permanent connection with the mouth during orthodontic treatment.
- Removable and Painless: Because TADs are removable, they can easily be installed in the mouth and extracted whenever needed to be adjusted and moved for anchorage purposes. They are also pain-free when numbed with local anesthesia and are considered a minimally invasive treatment option.
- Less Maintenance For Patients: Patients maintaining their smiles do not need to do much work to accomplish their oral health goals. They only need an antimicrobial solution to clean the implants alongside other instructions provided by their orthodontist to care for their teeth.
Although these devices are still considered a new invention and are not commonly used, if your orthodontist provides TADs as a treatment option, then the best way you can learn more about them is by scheduling a dental appointment with your local orthodontist today!
