Our clinic will close from Friday 20th December at 5:00pm through to Monday 1st January 2025 at 8:00am. Our hygienist will be available should patients require any assistance on Friday 27th December from 8:00am - 12:00pm and Thursday 2nd January 2025 from 8:00am - 12:00pm. We wish you and your families a safe and very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Types of appliances

Name: Harris Orthodontics
Telephone: 1800 0 678 46

Most orthodontic treatments involve appliances in one way or another - especially early orthodontic treatment. When a child’s jaws are still growing, we can use functional appliances to guide the growth and lessen the severity of later treatment with braces.

Some of the appliances we use at Harris Orthodontics include:

Elastics

Elastics improve the fit of your upper and lower teeth. The rubber bands are crucial to making sure your bite is straight and in alignment.

Headgear

Those who have trouble with jaw alignment can benefit from using headgear. This appliance gently pulls on your teeth to prevent further unwanted movement.

Herbst® appliance

The Herbst® appliance can provide relief to growing children who suffer from an overbite. It encourages the lower jaw to move forward and the upper molars to move backwards.

Palatal expander

The palatal expander widens the upper jaw by applying pressure on the upper molars during adjustments. This appliance helps create space for new teeth while improving the way the top and bottom teeth meet.

Retainer

This post-orthodontic treatment appliance plays a crucial role in maintaining your new smile. It's important to wear your retainers for as long as your Specialist Orthodontist advises you to.

Twin block

A removable, functional appliance called the Twin Block is used to improve overjets and encourage the growth of your lower jaw. It consists of two pieces: an upper and a lower plate, which come together to move the lower jaw forward.