Spring retainers are an easy and quick way to close space, correct minor crowding and rotation or relapse from previous orthodontic treatment. All spring retainers are pre-set in the lab to an ideal alignment of the “anterior 4” or “social 6” teeth. As soon as the retainer is inserted the acrylic & springs begin to guide the teeth into their new ideal position. Patients will begin to see results in just a few weeks. The spring retainer can then be used as retention to prevent future relapse. Also excellent for passive retention, especially for patients where consistent compliance is an issue, or where deep undercuts and inward tipping posterior teeth make traditional retainers difficult to insert & remove, the spring flex action built into these make insertion & removal easier.
Super Spring Retainer
Our most popular design, with great movement potential. Separate labial bow with acrylic guidance & lingual spring elements with helical coils on the lingual provide consistent light force mechanics providing a comfortable and flexible appliance.
Mushroom Spring Retainer
Similar in design to the “Super Spring” but without the helical coils. Often used when mostly closing space or only minimal lingual force is required.
Modified Spring Retainer
Labial bow and lingual spring elements are formed from a single piece of wire. the opposing labial-lingual forces guide & retain securely. Making the modified design great at delivering force all the way to the finished position & is a great choice when the movement is minor compared to the super spring & mushroom designs.
Spring Hawley
Essentially a standard Hawley retainer with acrylic on the labial bow, these are very useful when closing spaces or retracting a tooth that has shifted labially. Since the lingual has no spring the acrylic just acts as a cradle for the tooth that is being moved to settle into while the labial bow does all the work.
3-3 Clip-on Spring Retainer
This is the most comfortable, but also the least retentive. Used only for minor corrections. Available plain or with wire extensions. Extensions increase retention and eliminate the risk of aspiration.
NiTi Retracting Aligner
Closing spaces or retracting flared out anteriors often requires a lot of movement & sometimes multiple appliances in order to get to the desired results. Because all that movement gets multiplied, based on how many teeth have to move in order to close that space. We wanted an appliance that was capable of closing several millimeters of accumulated space. We use open coil Ni-Ti springs to apply continuous retracting force on the entire anterior segment. The force can be “tightened” by adding spacers to the wire distal to the tubes & compressing the springs further.
Before: Note the spacing & rotation of anterior teeth. Also the compressed Niti coils distal of clasps
After: Spaces are closed & teeth have rotated, coils have opened up as appliance has progressed through the movement, if more force were needed, simply compress the coils further.
Invisible Aligners
Fox Valley Ortho Lab uses the latest in 3D Digital technology and advanced tray materials. We have been fabricating invisible aligners since the days when each tray was set up by hand out of plaster & wax. This hands-on expertise is now combined with state of the art 3D design and printing capabilities to fabricate your aligners with care & precision. Please visit our separate Invisible Aligner page for more details
Minor Tooth Movement
& INDIVIDUAL TOOTH MOVEMENT
There is more than one way to move a tooth. We routinely use a variety of screws, pistons, springs, clasps & acrylic to guide teeth back into their ideal position. Check out our Options & Add-ons for some ideas, or better yet just call Paul at the lab or send him your case with the treatment objective & we will present you with some options.
