Essix Retainer Research Articles

Evaluation of the Distortion of Essix Retainer Formed From Biostar Machine Using Intraoral Digital Scans: An In Vitro Study.

Introduction Retention is essential to prevent unwanted tooth movement due to growth changes, to allow the gingival and periodontal tissues affected by orthodontic treatment to realign, and to stabilize teeth that have been moved to potentially unstable positions, thus reducing the risk of relapse. This study aimed to evaluate the distortion of Essix retainers over time to enhance their retention and stability. Methods Patients who visited the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at Ranjeet Deshmukh Dental College & Research Centre, Nagpur, India, after completing their orthodontic treatment were included in the study, according to the established inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 26 patients participated. Each patient received an Essix retainer fabricated from a Duran+ Biostar round sheet (1 mm thickness) using a Biostar machine based on their post-debonded maxillary cast. The patients were instructed on the correct insertion and removal of the Essix retainer. The inner surface of the retainers was scanned at one month, three months, and six months using an intraoral digital scanner. These scans were analyzed and compared for distortion at different time intervals using Medit software. Results The Essix retainers exhibited varying degrees of distortion at different time intervals. Notably, distortion was more significant in the posterior region compared to the anterior region. Additionally, distortion increased over time, with the least amount observed at one month and progressively worsening by the sixth month. Specifically, the average distortion in the posterior region ranged from 0.133 mm after the first month to 0.304 mm after six months. In contrast, the average distortion in the anterior region was lower, ranging from 0.057 mm at one month to 0.068 mm at six months. Conclusions Distortion was more pronounced on the posterior surface of the Essix retainer compared to the anterior region.

A Novel Technique Using Extracted Primary Maxillary Canines in an Essix Retainer

A Novel Technique Using Extracted Primary Maxillary Canines in an Essix Retainer

Environmental sustainability of post-orthodontic dental retainers: a comparative life-cycle assessment of Hawley and Essix retainers.

Environmental sustainability has been brought into the limelight due to the global climate crisis. This crisis is driven by human activities and even the healthcare sector is no exception. Within dentistry, orthodontics is a large global market; hence, the use of post-orthodontic retainers has a significant environmental footprint. The aim of this study was to determine the environmental sustainability of post-orthodontic retention using Hawley and Essix retainers. A comparative life-cycle assessment (LCA) was carried out to compare the environmental impact of both retainers. All inputs and outputs were accounted for using the Ecoinvent database, v3.7.1, and openLCA software. Sixteen impact categories were used to determine their environmental burden. Of the 16 impact categories, the Hawley had a greater environmental burden than the Essix retainer in 12 categories. The Hawley's most significant contributors to its impact values are factory manufacturing and in-house production, with an average of 41.45% and 52.52%, respectively. For the Essix, the greatest contributor is factory manufacturing, with an average of 64.63%. However, when factoring in the lifespan of the retainers, the Essix would have a greater environmental impact than the Hawley retainer. This study employed a comparative LCA. There were also assumptions made, but these were supported by research. On the basis of the evidence gathered in this study, Hawley retainers are more environmentally sustainable than Essix retainers. These results would better enable clinicians to factor in the environmental impact and make informed decisions on the choice of retainer type.

Modified Essix Retainer for Deep Bite Correction

Aesthetics is one of the main concerns amongst most patients when approaching orthodontists for treatment, usually surpassing their functional requirements. Here we present a 24-year-old female patient who had undergone orthodontic treatment previously. However, she still had a deep bite present and desired an Aesthetic appliance to treat the same. This Modified Essix Retainer was developed with these considerations in mind.

Cephalometric and digital model analysis of dentoskeletal effects of infrazygomatic miniscrew vs. Essix- anchored Carriere Motion appliance for distalization of maxillary buccal segment: a randomized clinical trial

Trial designParallel.ObjectiveTo compare skeletally anchored Carriere Motion appliance (CMA) for distalization of the maxillary buccal segment vs. Essix anchored CMA.MethodsThirty-two class II malocclusion patients were randomly allocated into two equal groups. One group was treated with infrazygomatic (IZC) miniscrew- anchored CMA (IZCG) and the other group treated with Essix retainer- anchored CMA (EXG). Two lateral cephalograms and two digital models for upper and lower arches were taken for each patient: immediately before intervention and after distalization had been completed.ResultsDistalization period was not significantly different between the two groups. In contrast to EXG, IZCG showed insignificant difference in ANB, lower incisor proclination, and mesial movement of the lower first molar. There was significant rotation with distal movement of maxillary canine and first molar in both groups.ConclusionIZC anchored CMA could eliminate the side effects of class II elastics regarding lower incisor proclination, mesial movement lower molars with a more significant amount of distalization of the maxillary buccal segment but with significant molar rotation.Trial registrationThe ClinicalTrials.gov Protocol Registration and Results System (PRS) has this RCT registered as (NCT05499221) on 12/08/2022.

Effect of bonded and removable retainers on occlusal settling after orthodontic treatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effectiveness of bonded and removable retainers (the Hawley and Essix retainers) in terms of improving occlusal settling (occlusal contact points/areas) after orthodontic treatment. We searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL Plus, and Dental & Oral Sciences Source (DOSS), as well as SIGLE, Google Scholar and ClinicalTrials.gov for eligible studies. We included randomized and non-randomized controlled trials along with cohort studies. Studies that reported occlusal contacts/areas during retention with fixed bonded and removable retainers were included. To assess the quality of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs), the Cochrane Collaboration risk-of-bias (RoB) tool was utilized, whereas the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of cohort studies.We included 6 articles in our systematic review after scrutinizing 219 articles and eliminating the illegible ones based on duplication, titles, abstracts, and objectives. Bonded retainers (BRs) allowed faster and better posterior occlusal settling as compared to the Hawley retainer (HR). However, HR showed good occlusal settling in the anterior dental arch. The Essix retainer (ER) showed a decrease in occlusal contact during the retention phase. Meta-analysis showed no statistically significant difference between BRs and removable retainers. In conclusion, HR allowed better overall occlusal settling as compared to other retainers. However, BRs allowed faster settling in the posterior tooth region. The Essix retainer showed poor settling of occlusion. Overall, there is an insufficient number of high-quality RCTs to provide additional evidence, and further high-quality RCTs are needed.

Digital Occlusion Analysis after Orthodontic Treatment: Capabilities of the Intraoral Scanner and T-Scan Novus System

Digital technology is becoming increasingly popular in dentistry. The aim of this article is to demonstrate and compare the capabilities of two different digital approaches, namely, intraoral scanning and digital examination of occlusion, in the final analysis of occlusion after orthodontic treatment. The capabilities and limitations of both systems are emphasized to help clinicians determine which system to use in specific cases. Materials and methods: The study included 32 patients (15 males and 17 females) in the retention phase after orthodontic treatment. Patients were aged 15 to 28 years with a mean age of 18.62 years (±4.17), and 62.2% were aged under 18 years. At the beginning of the orthodontic treatment, 18 patients had Angle Class I and 14 had Angle Class II. Overall, 18 patients were treated without extractions and 14 with extractions, while 12 had impacted teeth. All patients wore an Essix retainer in the upper jaw and a fixed canine-to-canine retainer in the lower jaw. Intraoral scanning was performed using Trios color (3Shape, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2014), and digital occlusion imaging was performed using T-Scan Novus (Tekscan, Norwood, MA, USA, 2018). SPSS 23.0 was used to perform descriptive statistical analysis. Result and Conclusion: With the 3Shape system, the contacts are marked based on the proximity between dentitions. The T-Scan system measures the strength of the contacts, regardless of their area. Despite its many advantages, intraoral scanning is not a reliable method for recording occlusions. The results obtained are not incorrect, but they include limited parameters for analysis. The T-Scan system provides comprehensive results and allows analysis and treatment of occlusal dysfunctions. The T-Scan system can provide information on the first contact, strength of the contacts, contact distribution on each tooth, sequence of contacts, maximum bite force and maximum intercuspation, path of the lower jaw movement, and occlusion and disocclusion times as well as record videos with active sequences and distributions of the contacts. There is a good collaboration between intraoral scanning and digital occlusion determination.

Prevalence of usage of various removable appliances among undergraduate dental students in a private dental college.

The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of usage of various removable appliances among undergraduate dental students in private dental colleges. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Review Board of Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, India. A dental record of patients was investigated. Data evaluation was completed and entered into Microsoft Excel. Gender distribution among the cohorts was assessed. The most commonly used appliance is Hawley's appliance (61), followed by Essix retainer (25), Begg's wrap-around retainer (23), Hawley's appliance with tongue crib (16), cantilever spring (7), splint (7), and T spring (1), respectively. The majority of the females (36) took Hawley's appliance. The difference was not statistically significant between both the arches and between the male and female population. Hawley's appliance is the most commonly used removable appliance among dental graduates.

Assessment of PCL between dental implant prosthesis and natural teeth using a digital force analyzer.

The prime concern of an implant-supported prosthesis (ISP) is to maintain an optimal proximal contact tightness, which further maintains arch integrity, improves masticatory effectiveness, and minimizes peri-implantitis. To investigate the loss of proximal contact tightness between single tooth implant-supported prosthesis and the adjacent natural teeth. Forty patients treated by a single mandibular first molar ISP, aged between 18-50 years were selected. All were randomly allocated in Group I and Group II. Group I, 20 subjects who have received ISP without an insertion of Essix retainer, and Group II patients received an insertion with Essix retainer. The groups were subdivided into Subgroup A, B, and Subgroup C, D, in which A and C are control groups. To measure the tightness at proximal contact points, a digital force analyzer was used. Proximal contact tightness (PCT) was measured immediately after the placement of the prosthesis, 3 months, 6 months, and 1-year follow-up respectively, and the PCT values at end of 1 year were statistically evaluated. Statistical analysis was done, mean and standard deviation was calculated by independent sample t-test wit p< 0.05 as a statistically significant value. In Group I, towards the end of 1 year, 2.09 N (65.5%) and 1.50 N (53.1%) loss of PCT were found on mesial and distal contact areas respectively. In Group II, loss of PCT at mesial contact area was 0.87 N (28.9%) and at distal contact area was 1.77 N (53.3%), which is significantly less compared with the non-usage of Essix retainer (p< 0.05). The usage of Essix retainer, PCT increases especially on the mesial contact area. The frequency of contact loss was decreased. Thus, to minimize the loss of proximal contact the usage of Essix retainer is recommended.

Post orthodontic periodontal evaluation of patients with different removable retainers: Hawleys Vs Essix

Prevention of unwanted post-treatment changes remains one of the biggest challenges in orthodontics. Retention using removable appliance is important, which can alter the oral hygiene and oral microbial flora, overall increase in the Streptococcus mutans can lead to caries formation which can lead to a missing tooth that can spoil the overall appearance of the patient. 24 post orthodontic subjects were divided in to two groups and group I was given Essix retainer and Group II was given Hawleys Retainer, Supra gingival plaque collected and bacterial colony count done using digital colony counter OHI-S and PI are recorded at T0 (start of treatment) T1 (30 days) T2 (60 days). Essix group has a significant increase in the streptococcus mutans count OHI-S and PI scores are higher for hawleys retainer group. This study advocates the use of a better appliance which along with aesthetics can also ensure better oral hygiene Care should be taken to provide detailed hygiene instructions for both appliance and teeth.

Evaluation of long-term stability of curve of Spee levelled with continuous archwires in two different retention protocol

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the long-term stability of the curve of Spee leveled with continuous archwire in subjects with two different retention protocols. Materials and Methods: The study sample consisted of 20 patients (mean age 18 ± 2 years) presenting with curve of Spee depth of =/&gt; 3 mm. For each subject, lateral cephalograms and dental casts were available before treatment (T1), at the end of orthodontic therapy (T2), and 1 year after the end of treatment (T3). All subjects were divided into two groups according to their retention protocol – fixed retainer group (Group-1) and Essix retainer group (Group-2). Cephalometric parameters were used to evaluate the dental movements after treatment. Curve of Spee depth was measured on standardized digital images of casts. Results: In multicomparison table, it shows that there was a statistically significant difference (P = 0.032) between Spee-T2 and Spee-T3 and there was no statistical difference (P = 0.159) between L1MP-T2 and L1MP-T3 in fixed retainer group. In Essix retainer group, no changes were observed from L1MP-T2 to L1MP-T3 and there was a non-significant difference found between Spee-T2 and Spee-T3. Conclusion: In Group-1 (fixed retainer), there is some amount of relapse or extrusion of lower incisor. In Group-2 (Essix retainer), there was not any change in the position of the lower incisor, which suggests that occlusal coverage of the Essix retainer does not allow any extrusion and retains the curve of Spee.

Modified Essix retainer for retention and minor corrections

Modern treatment procedures are based solely on the esthetic purpose. With time, many changes are done to provide satisfaction to the patient. Even the orthodontic appliances are on the verge of some changes keeping its functioning, esthetics, patient care into consideration. This modified esthetic retainer for retention and minor corrections was developed giving all these considerations into mind.

Management of Traumatic Ulcerations of Lips in a Case of Huntington’s Disease: A Novel Application of Essix Retainer

Huntington’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor, cognitive, and psychiatric symptoms. Dystonia of muscles is a characteristic feature of this condition. A case of Huntington’s disease, with orofacial dystonia, leading to severe uncontrolled biting of the lips, was referred by the Department of Neurology. Deep traumatic ulcerations were found in both upper and lower lips. A simple Essix retainer was fabricated and inserted, which acted as a barrier for the teeth from injuring the lips. The ulcers showed complete resolution in 3 to 4 weeks. The vacuum-formed retainers resulted in a good fit and resisted removal by the uncontrolled contortions of the orofacial muscles. The Essix retainer can be effectively used in improving the quality of life of patients, with Huntington’s disease, having such dystonia-related injuries to lips.

Difference in Orthodontic Patients’ Perceptions of Essix and Hawley Retainers

Objective: To determine differences in how orthodontic patients perceive the aesthetics relating to the use of Essix and Hawley retainers. Material and Methods: Photographs of a female patient using an Essix retainer and a Hawley retainer, respectively, were assessed by 70 orthodontic patients aged between 21 and 55 years. All participants were provided with the same images of the two retainer types being worn and were asked to grade the aesthetics of each retainer using a visual analog scale . The significance of differences in orthodontic patient perceptions of aesthetics in the use of Essix and Hawley Retainers in the young adult and adult age groups were tested using the Mann-Whitney test with assumed significance p<0.01. Results: There were differences in participants’ perceptions between the two retainers that were statistically significant, with responses varying between young adults aged 21 to 35 years and adults aged 36 to 55 years. According to the VAS, the two retainers’ average scores in the total population are 82 for Essix Retainer and 60 for Hawley Retainer in both groups . Conclusion: The Essix retainer as a retention appliance is considered more aesthetically pleasing than the Hawley retainer among both young and middle-aged adults.

Occlusal contact area changes with different retention protocols: 1-year follow-up

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occlusal contact area and cast-radiograph evaluation (CRE) score changes in patients with 3 different retention protocols after a 1-year retention period. A total of 90 patients with acceptable final occlusion according to American Board of Orthodontics CRE were equally divided into 3 groups according to the retention protocol: upper bonded retainer and lower Essix or bonded retainer (Essix group); upper bonded retainer and Hawley or lower bonded retainer (Hawley group); and upper bonded retainer and lower bonded retainer (bonded retainer group). Digital models were used to assess occlusal contact area changes after a 1-year retention period. The follow-up occlusion models were assessed with the American Board of Orthodontics CRE. Occlusal contact areas increased significantly in the Hawley and bonded retainer groups for all teeth except incisors. The bonded retainer group showed the greatest amount of settling, but differences with the Hawley group were not statistically significant. However, statistically significant decreases in occlusal contact areas were recorded for the Essix group except for incisors. A decrease of CRE scores was seen in the Hawley group, whereas a statistically significant increase was recorded in the Essix group. Both Hawley and bonded retainers allowed settling of the occlusion during the retention phase, whereas the Essix retainer did not allow relative vertical movement of the posterior teeth. The Hawley group showed improvement in the total CRE score, whereas the Essix group showed worsening.

Evaluation of biological changes at the proximal contacts between single-tooth implant-supported prosthesis and the adjacent natural teeth - An in vivo study.

Aim:The aim of the study is to evaluate the proximal contact tightness (PCT) between single-tooth implant-supported prosthesis (ISP) and the adjacent natural teeth with and without the intervention of the Essix retainer at the end of 1 year.Settings and Design:In vivo -experimental study.Materials and Methods:Forty patients with a single ISP in the first molar region of the mandibular arch are included in the study who were randomly divided into two groups – Group I (20): those without an intervention of Essix retainer and Group II (20): those with the intervention of Essix retainer (2 mm thickness) (Thermo Vac, Inc. USA) delivered immediately after the restoration of implant with the definitive prosthesis. The groups are further subdivided into Subgroups A (control) and B within Group I and Subgroups C (control) and D within Group II. Mesial and distal PCT values were recorded in each quadrant using the digital force gauge, and values obtained at the end of 1 year were subjected for statistical analysis.Statistical Analysis Used:Independent sample t-test was performed. P < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant.Results:On nonusage of Essix retainer, in comparison to the control group, there were a 57.9% decrease in PCT values for the ISP on mesial contact (P < 0.05) and a 38.9% decrease for the distal contact (P > 0.05), whereas on the usage of Essix retainer, the PCT values for ISP on mesial contact decreased to 25.3% (not significant) and 33.7% on the distal contact (P > 0.05). The incidence of contact loss was found to be 30%, whereas it decreased to 15% on the usage of Essix retainer.Conclusion:The usage of Essix retainer showed a significant difference in increasing the PCT values, especially on the mesial contact. The incidence of contact loss, which was found to be 30%, decreased to 15% on its usage.

Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Different Thickness of Vacuum Formed Retainer (Essix Retainer) During Retention Phase After Orthodontic Treatment

Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Different Thickness of Vacuum Formed Retainer (Essix Retainer) During Retention Phase After Orthodontic Treatment

Evalution Of the Patiens Oral Health Related Quality of Life After Harvesting Free Gingival Graft

Objectives: Oral Health Related Quality of Life is the individual's perception of how oral health affects the quality of life and general health. Periodontal plastic surgery procedures have been reported to negatively affect the quality of life of patients after the operations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different treatment procedures applied for wound healing of the donor palate site after free gingival graft (FGG) operations on the quality of life.Materials and Methods: After FGG harvesting, 60 patients’ palatal donor sites were randomly assigned one of the six groups, giving 10 participants per group. Palatal wounds were treated with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), essix retainer, ozone therapy, low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or collagen fleece. As a control group, palatal donor sites were left to secondary healing without any of the treatment procedures. After the postoperative procedures, The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) questions were asked to patients to evaluate their quality of life, whereas parameters in relation to postoperative morbidity were analyzed by using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).Results: Regarding to the questions belonging Turkish version of OHIP-14 (OHIP-14 TR), there were statistically significant relationships between the group categorical variables and the categorical results of question 7 and 10 (p=0.002 and p=0.015). For these questions, the lowest scores were mostly given in the LLLT group. No statistically significant difference was observed between the study groups and total OHIP scores (TOHIP) and the means of 7 subscales of OHIP-14 (p&amp;gt;0.05). Significant differences were found between PRF-ozone groups on the 5th day (p=0.011) for mean VAS scores exhibiting postoperative pain.Conclusions: It has been observed that applying LLLT procedures to the donor wound area following FGG operations may have positive effects on the quality of life and PRF treatments may be more effective in terms of patient comfort after operation.

Evaluation of Patient Discomfort at the Palatal Donor Site Following Free Gingival Graft Procedures: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background and aims. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects on patients’ discomfort of four different protective methods for donor sites after free gingival graft (FGG) surgery. Materials and methods. This study compared the effects of four different covering methods on discomfort (pain, chewing, speaking, appearance) of patients at the donor site. This study included 4 groups: Group A, periodontal dressing (PD); group B, Essix retainer, group C, modified Essix retainer and group D, modified Hawley retainer. A visual analog scale (VAS) was used to measure the experienced discomfort. Results. The mean VAS scores for pain were higher in group A compared to those in groups with retainers for both assessments, but there was only statistically significance at T1 (P&gt;0.05). While bleeding was significantly more common in group A than in the other groups at T1 (after one week) and T2 (after two week) (P&lt;0.05), the differences between groups B, C, and D were not significant (P&gt;0.05). The present study showed that speaking and appearance VAS scores in the PD group were lower than those in groups with retainers (P&lt;0.05). Conclusion. The complaints about the donor site after FGG surgery might decrease with the use of coverage techniques.

Simple innovative “V” clips for bonded lingual retainer

Retention is necessary in maximum number of orthodontic cases. Various retainers such as Hawley's retainer, Essix retainer, and bonded lingual retainers are fabricated for this purpose. However, fixed lingual retainers are the appliance of choice in cases needing permanent retention. Various techniques have been used for holding the fixed retainer in place before bonding. These techniques had a disadvantage of needing assistance for the purpose of holding the retainer in place. In some techniques, the ligature wire used to hold the retainer could cause trauma to the soft tissue if not taken due care. In this article, we are describing a new simple technique for holding the retainer. The “V” retainer clips described are easy to fabricate and place, use natural interdental space for its retention, needing less chairside time, and eliminate the need of the assistance.