Habit Breaker Oral Appliances

Burtonsville, MD

Setting the stage for long-term healthy and beautiful smiles

At Bespoke Orthodontics, we offer habit breaker oral appliances that act as a deterrent and reminder to break certain habits that can significantly impact dental and facial development. These include finger or lip sucking, tongue thrusting, and teeth grinding and clenching, a condition known as bruxism. Discouraging these oral habits can help reduce the need for invasive corrective treatments down the road.

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What Are Habit Breaker Oral Appliances?

Habit breaker oral appliances are custom-made orthodontic devices designed to help patients eliminate oral habits that can negatively impact their dental and facial development and health. The main goal of these oral appliances is to extinguish habits that would otherwise distort the normal positioning of the teeth that occurs when the muscles and tissues are in balance.

If the oral habits are not addressed in a timely manner, they can lead to severe dental issues that may require orthognathic surgery. This may include complex procedures that involve breaking and repositioning the jaw bones to correct the bite. Cessation of these harmful oral habits often allows the teeth to move back to their normal position through orthodontic movement, greatly reducing or even eliminating the need for orthognathic surgery.

What Are the Habit Breaker Oral Appliance Options?

The following is a look at some of the habit-breaker oral appliances we offer:

Finger Habit Appliances: Prolonged thumb or finger sucking can lead to long-term developmental and orthodontic problems, including misaligned teeth, an open bite (when the upper and lower teeth don't meet), and changes in jaw structure. Finger habits can also affect speech development and cause social or emotional distress.

Cribs: These oral appliances create a fixed, cage-like barrier behind the upper front teeth, preventing the thumb or finger from reaching the palate.
Rakes: These appliances feature small, protruding prongs or spikes that cause mild discomfort when a child places a finger or thumb in the mouth. This becomes a deterrent, discouraging finger habits through negative reinforcement.

Lip Habit Appliances: Lip sucking or biting can exert excessive pressure on the front teeth, leading to misalignment, protrusion of the upper teeth, and changes in the shape of the lips, as well as causing irritated, chapped lips.

Lip Bumpers: A lip bumper consists of a wire and acrylic shield placed along the front teeth, which helps create a physical barrier between the lips and teeth. This helps prevent lip sucking or biting, breaking the habit, and allowing the teeth to align properly.

Tongue Thrusting Appliances: Tongue thrusting involves pushing the tongue forward against the teeth when swallowing, speaking, or at rest. It can result in many oral health concerns, including misaligned teeth, an open bite, and problems with speech development.

Tongue Cribs:Similar to finger cribs, these appliances create a barrier behind the upper front teeth, preventing the tongue from pushing forward during swallowing. This helps retrain the tongue to rest in the correct position.
Tongue Tamers: Tongue tamers often feature small projections or "spikes." This helps discourage the tongue from thrusting forward and acts as a tactile reminder to keep the tongue in the correct position.

Managing Bruxism with Custom Night Guards

Bruxism, characterized by excessive clenching or grinding of the jaws, can occur throughout the day or only during sleep. It is often associated with stress, anxiety, poor sleep hygiene, or sleep disorders. If not addressed, bruxism can lead to enamel wear or fracture, tooth sensitivity, damage to gums and bone surrounding the teeth, or tooth mobility. It can also lead to headaches or pain in the jaw, TMJ, neck, or face.

Managing bruxism starts with stress reduction techniques, good sleep habits, and ruling out sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea. If, however, the teeth grinding and clenching occur primarily during sleep, we may recommend a custom night guard, which provides a physical barrier between the upper and lower arches, preventing further damage to the teeth and oral structures. Night guards may also help reduce TMJ symptoms, enhancing your quality of life.