Hi there, this is my first post. To start, I grew up with a normal bite, until I began to use a nightguard during my sleep. The nightguard covered all my teeth except for very back molars. As a result, they erupted out of position over time and I developed an anterior open bite. I've been looking for orthodontists who can fix my bite, but I am not satisfied with their suggested treatment plans. Most of them have suggested Invisalign, since it's good at intruding teeth by nature. I can't do Invisalign for many reasons, but the main ones are an allergy to the cleaning chemicals used, high maintenance, and general claustrophobia from wearing them. I did some research and found that temporary anchorage devices (TADS) seem like the perfect solution to my case. They are screws that you can attach rubber bands to, to move the teeth in certain directions. In my case, I would guess that they would move my teeth back into the jaw bone, or "intrude" them. TADS are also cited in literature as being used for molar intrusion, which I am guessing is the treatment method for my case.
With that being said, I have been finding it difficult to find an orthodontists who uses TADS. In my consultations, none of them have suggested TADS, and one of them even became offended when I brought it up as a potential alternative to Invisalign. He said it wasn't a magic solution in an annoyed tone, which rubbed me off the wrong way, but that's a whole other story. My question is, are TADS not in an orthodontist's training? Also any feedback relating to my case is appreciated, thanks.
Difficulty finding a provider who uses TADS
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titaniumwarrior
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2022 2:51 pm
Re: Difficulty finding a provider who uses TADS
Please take this response in the spirit intended - just some thoughts from a non-orthodontist trying to be helpful. I'm not sure you will see this post, as many first-time posters seem lost to follow-up, but here goes.
I think all orthodontists are trained in the use of TADs -- this seems very basic. I am a RN by training, and my overarching thought is that no treatment or medication is without risk or a downside -- that may be what the ortho meant when he indicated that TADs are not a magic cure (or whatever he said.) It would have been nice if he expanded that response a bit, but perhaps at that point he felt defensive.
Over the past 6 years or so I have been wearing the Vivera retainers, made by the Invisalign people. I assume that one could clean Invisalign trays the same way I do my retainers -- with toothpaste. It works great. Some have noted tiny scratches as a result, but once they are in place the scratches disappear. Some use Dawn dish detergent. The Dentakit company (a sponsor of this page) has products that also work well. At some point you'll need to cross the bridge about retainers -- perhaps other options (e.g., Hawley) would be more to your liking. For me, they were not my first choice. I still wear my retainers every night. I wished my ortho had recommended Invisalign for my case -- and saved me three years of braces. But, in his opinion, braces were needed. If you are in the Washington DC area, I would highly recommend a consult with him -- Dr. Andrew Schwartz of Capitol Orthodontics. Top notch personality, smart, professional, great communicator.
Anyways, there is a slight pressure when I put the Vivera retainers in, as my teeth still drift slightly every day. My ortho made sure I understood that retainers are a life-long commitment. That pressure is not a big deal and is gone in a few minutes. I suspect you'd have the same issue with Invisalign -- but orthodontics is not for the faint of heart -- there will be discomfort. Of course, you can take OTC meds for that, no need to suffer.
Frankly, a red flag went up when you wrote something like "I did some reading and I think TADs are the answer..." because I do not think that qualifies anyone to professionally evaluate a treatment plan, and especially to recommend alternative treatment. Reading between the lines, I sense a bit of a pi$$ing contest between you and the various orthodontists, and they may be a bit defensive and not inclined to take your case. I could not discern if you had asked them something along the lines of "I've read that TADs might be helpful in these cases, what are your thoughts on the pros and cons?" but consider it in order to eliminate coming across as a "know it all." Also, I do not entirely understand your need for your wisdom teeth to be intruded -- do you mean pushed back into the gums (vs. realignment)? I just don't know that much about the indications for intrusion.
You can also search the forum for posts related to TADs -- use the small data field at the top of the forum and then click on the magnifying glass icon (I am not sure that hitting "Enter" will trigger the search.) If you need help let me know and I'd be happy to do it for you and post the link here. I did it earlier but lost it when I cut and pasted a sentence and am too lazy to go back in fear of losing this response.
In any event, best of luck to you!
I think all orthodontists are trained in the use of TADs -- this seems very basic. I am a RN by training, and my overarching thought is that no treatment or medication is without risk or a downside -- that may be what the ortho meant when he indicated that TADs are not a magic cure (or whatever he said.) It would have been nice if he expanded that response a bit, but perhaps at that point he felt defensive.
Over the past 6 years or so I have been wearing the Vivera retainers, made by the Invisalign people. I assume that one could clean Invisalign trays the same way I do my retainers -- with toothpaste. It works great. Some have noted tiny scratches as a result, but once they are in place the scratches disappear. Some use Dawn dish detergent. The Dentakit company (a sponsor of this page) has products that also work well. At some point you'll need to cross the bridge about retainers -- perhaps other options (e.g., Hawley) would be more to your liking. For me, they were not my first choice. I still wear my retainers every night. I wished my ortho had recommended Invisalign for my case -- and saved me three years of braces. But, in his opinion, braces were needed. If you are in the Washington DC area, I would highly recommend a consult with him -- Dr. Andrew Schwartz of Capitol Orthodontics. Top notch personality, smart, professional, great communicator.
Anyways, there is a slight pressure when I put the Vivera retainers in, as my teeth still drift slightly every day. My ortho made sure I understood that retainers are a life-long commitment. That pressure is not a big deal and is gone in a few minutes. I suspect you'd have the same issue with Invisalign -- but orthodontics is not for the faint of heart -- there will be discomfort. Of course, you can take OTC meds for that, no need to suffer.
Frankly, a red flag went up when you wrote something like "I did some reading and I think TADs are the answer..." because I do not think that qualifies anyone to professionally evaluate a treatment plan, and especially to recommend alternative treatment. Reading between the lines, I sense a bit of a pi$$ing contest between you and the various orthodontists, and they may be a bit defensive and not inclined to take your case. I could not discern if you had asked them something along the lines of "I've read that TADs might be helpful in these cases, what are your thoughts on the pros and cons?" but consider it in order to eliminate coming across as a "know it all." Also, I do not entirely understand your need for your wisdom teeth to be intruded -- do you mean pushed back into the gums (vs. realignment)? I just don't know that much about the indications for intrusion.
You can also search the forum for posts related to TADs -- use the small data field at the top of the forum and then click on the magnifying glass icon (I am not sure that hitting "Enter" will trigger the search.) If you need help let me know and I'd be happy to do it for you and post the link here. I did it earlier but lost it when I cut and pasted a sentence and am too lazy to go back in fear of losing this response.
In any event, best of luck to you!
Dan
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. -- Buddist saying
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional. -- Buddist saying
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bigopenbite
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Fri Nov 25, 2022 5:40 pm
Re: Difficulty finding a provider who uses TADS
I have been though this see my post in "our braces stories section". I was going to get TAD's but it was proving difficult for the reasons you mentioned. I ended up getting high pull headgear instead for my openbite. And it's been working great so far.