SPEED Users Guide

ARCHWIRE PLANE SELECTION MAXILLARY ARCH When the upper second bicuspids have short clinical crowns at the time of bonding, they determine, in large measure, the height and orientation of the most suitable archwire plane. This is particularly true if upper second molars are to be included in the strap up. In such situations, the upper second bicuspid brackets may be looked upon as pivotal. For example, placing the upper incisor brackets too far gingivally can result in an archwire plane which will fall occlusal to the second molars, and possibly even miss them entirely. MANDIBULAR ARCH Lower brackets should be positioned far enough gingivally so that they will not come into occlusal contact with any of the upper teeth at any time during treatment. If this is not possible, the bonding of certain brackets may have to be postponed unless a bite plate or bite shelf is used. 9 SPEED BRACKETS AND OCCLUSAL INTERFERENCE At first glance, SPEED brackets might look like tempting “bite shelves”, especially for “deep bite” cases. However, SPEED brackets are not designed to be, and should never be, left directly in the occlusion. Permitting this to occur creates a risk of damage to the patient’s dentition and/or the Spring Clip. If the potential exists for the upper dentition to occlude on the lower SPEED attachments, there are at least 4 possible options at the disposal of the clinician: 1. Postpone bonding the lower attachments - procline upper anteriors 2. Employ a removable bite plate 3. Bonding a bite shelf to upper anterior teeth 4. Bonding a bite shelf to lower posterior teeth Mistakenly leaving lower attachments directly in the occlusion can result in damage to the Spring Clip. Anterior brackets with the “Protector Rail” feature reduce the vulnerability of damage due to occlusal contact in deep bite cases. In deep bite cases, bite shelves may be employed to prevent occlusal contact between the upper dentition and lower attachments. They can be removed once posterior extrusion occurs. Normal Spring Clip Broken Spring Clip

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