Lower Super Modified Spring Retainer
Appliance Purpose / Function:
The super modified is a variation of the standard modified spring retainer which provides additional flexibility from the labial bow by incorporating helical springs into then omega loops of the bow. This design is a better choice when a good deal of the force required to align the anterior teeth must be applied from the labial.
The combination of the mushroom spring on the lingual and helix springs on the omega loops makes this appliance a better choice for more extensive corrections to the anterior teeth.
Appliance Components:
(1) Mushroom Spring- .028 spring wire
(2) Adams Clasps- .028 stainless steel
(1) Trans Palate Wire- .036 stainless steel
(1) Lingual Support Wire- .036 stainless steel
(1) Body Wire- .036 Stainless steel
Appliance Fabrication Standards:
ACRYLIC STANDARDS:
- Uniform overall thickness of approximately 2mm
- All wires and inlay pictures completely encased in acrylic on lingual portion
- All borders must be tapered towards the tissue with a rounded edge (thin, sharp knife-like edges not accept-able)
- Acrylic must be trimmed at the height of the gingival third of each posterior tooth and must not interfere with opposing cusps
- Acrylic must have full contact with all lingual sur-faces of every tooth involved in the requested plate design with the exception of the embrasures. There must be no “cupped out” areas around the teeth that can act as a food trap, instead the acrylic must butt directly against each tooth without dipping
- Acrylic in embrasures must be sufficient to prevent rotation of the teeth, but must have a rounded end to prevent a sharp uncomfortable point
- All lingual acrylic from lateral to lateral must be removed except for a thin strip of acrylic covering the oval portion of the mushroom spring and all palatal acrylic must be removed except for a half moon shaped portion on each sagittal wall extending from first bicuspid to terminal molar
- The tissue side of the plate is generally left alone unless otherwise requested by the Client, but it must be inspected for pits or sharp areas. Pits must be patched with acrylic, and sharp areas must be care-fully ground smooth without removing too much acrylic .
- Uniform overall thickness of approximately 2.5mm
- Unless otherwise specified by Client, acrylic must be approximately 2.5mm wide from the gingival border to the incisal border and extend from the mesial portion of one loop to the same point on the other loop
- All edges must be straight and rounded towards the surface of the teeth to make the appliance more form fitting (square or sharp edges are not acceptable)
- All wires completely encased in acrylic from lateral to lateral
Labial Acrylic:
WIRE STANDARDS:
- Contact central and lateral incisors in middle 1/3 of labial surface Note: wire can be positioned slightly off thteeth in this area due to labial acrylic being placed there but gap must be slight.
- Loop must contour to gingival margin of canine with a 1.5 to 2mm helix in the bottom
- Wire must fit snugly into the lingual side of the embrasure and follow the contour of the tissue with 1mm of space between it and the tissue (this will allow acrylic to flow behind the wire and fully encase it. Do not leave too much space here as this will cause the acrylic to be too thick in order to cover the wire.)
Body Wire-
- The wire must be positioned so that it will be in the middle 1/3 of the acrylic and must follow the contour of the tissue with 1mm of space between it and the tissue (this will allow acrylic to flow behind the wire and fully encase it. Do not leave too much space here as this will cause the acrylic to be too thick in order to cover the wire
- A 5mm foot must be bent on the end of the wire for acrylic retention
Mushroom Spring-
- Wire must contact (or be very closely contoured to) the central and lateral incisors on the lingual just low enough to avoid interference with the opposing arch
- At the middle 1/3 of the lateral incisors it must curve towards the midline forming an oval shape with the bottom portion of the oval running just above the gingival margin of the incisors
- In the middle 1/3 of the central incisors, the wire should be bent down towards the lingual body wire closely following its contours and extending back to the middle of the first bicuspids.