Herbst Appliance

The reason Dr. Stich recommends the Herbst Appliance
One of the most common problems orthodontists treat is the discrepancy that occurs when the upper teeth protrude beyond the lower. Sometimes when we see a patient with the upper teeth protruding, we tend to think that the upper jaw and teeth are too far forward; but more often than not, this condition is due to a small lower jaw that is further back than it should be.

With these patients, we would like to encourage the lower jaw to catch up in growth, and braces like the Herbst appliance help this happen.

The Herbst appliance holds the lower jaw in a forward position while pushing the upper jaw backward.

How the Herbst will feel
At first, your mouth will feel unusually full and speaking will be awkward. But if you practice reading aloud, your ordinary speech will quickly return. You may also notice more saliva than normal, but this will decrease, as you become accustomed to the appliance.

Be careful of some foods
As with all kinds of braces, patients with Herbst appliances need to be careful about what they eat. For instance cold foods such as ice slushes, Popsicle's, and ice will freeze the cement and make the brace loosen. Sticky food such as caramels, bubble gum, and candy suckers will pull the brace away from the teeth. Hard foods like crisp vegetables should be cut up into bite-size pieces, prior to eating. Hard candies will bend and loosen the Herbst appliance too.

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