How to Care for an Orthodontic Appliance

The 3 main components of the appliance include the bite plate, acrylic and wires. These components should be visually inspected daily to ensure the appliance is functional.

1) Bite plate- notify if the plate is missing, bent or completely worn through

2) Acrylic- notify if the acrylic is missing, cracked, broken, displaced, or ulcerating the gums

3) Wires- notify if either wire has loosened or broken  

A functional appliance from the front and side view

A non-functional appliance from the front and side view

Neglected broken acrylic and missing bite plate resulting in significant soft tissue irritation and incisor entrapment that will prevent desired results from being achieved

What to Expect After the Surgical Procedure

Please check your horse’s orthodontic appliance twice daily at home to detect loose or broken wire or acrylic, and to make sure the bite plate is present. Notify us if the appliance appears non-functional.

KEVDS will examine the patient on a regular basis at the farm, typically at 1-3 month intervals. During these follow-up visits, the appliance will be inspected and the cheek teeth assessed for any abnormal dental wear patterns.

The bite plate wears thin over time from lower incisor contact and typically, after 3-6 months, the appliance and/or wires will break and need to be removed. If correction is not complete at that time, the surgical procedure will need to be repeated until the desired results are achieved.

The overbite in most weanlings corrects approximately 0.5 cm every 3-4 months.