Benefits Of Lower Lingual Holding Arch (LLHA)

Malocclusion is not similar in every orthodontic patient. Orthodontic issues are specific and identical to the patient it affects. Fortunately, patients seeking orthodontic treatment can find various technologically advanced treatment options to help correct the issues affecting them. One such appliance used by orthodontists is the lower lingual holding arch LLHA.

The pediatric dentist near you treats children of different ages with varying degrees of malocclusion. To achieve their goal to ensure they have the tools essential to deliver healthy and stable bites to all patients. The lower lingual holding arch is excellent for children presenting severe crowding in the first phase of two-phase treatment.

What Is the (LLHA) Lower Lingual Holding Arch

The lower lingual holding arch is similar to the space maintainers near you provided to children losing teeth prematurely. However, the LLHA is held by the lower first molar and connected by a wire running along the inside of the lower arch of teeth. It helps to prevent the lower molars from moving forward, where they can block the eruption of the permanent teeth correctly.

The lower lingual holding arch is a standard appliance used in children with crowding issues or premature tooth loss and remains in place until all their permanent teeth erupt.

How Does the LLHA Benefit Children?

Besides functioning as a space-maintaining appliance, the lower lingual holding arch can also serve as an anchor for elastics and bands to stabilize and support the molar. The LLHA is a practical appliance helpful to maintain proper leeway space because baby molars are more comprehensive than the permanent teeth that replace them.

The lower lingual holding arch is a relatively straight forward device that helps create a beautiful smile and bite in various ways. Two bands of stainless steel are attached to the lower first molars using orthodontic adhesives. In addition, the bands are connected by stainless steel wires running along the lingual side of the teeth. Children can feel the wire with their tongues because it is located on the inner side of their teeth. However, there is no pressure or discomfort associated with the lower lingual holding arch because the appliance is used passively.

Lower lingual holding arches are customized for every patient, and because their placement is invisible to everyone, children experience no pain or discomfort with the device. However, as it is familiar with all orthodontic appliances, a period of an adjustment exists, and your child can expect the following:

• Altered Speech: Following the first few days after lower lingual holding arch placement, your child’s tongue will have an alien appliance in the mouth to deal with, making it challenging for your child to speak clearly. Your child will require a few days to get accustomed to speaking with the LLHA in their mouth. However, encouraging them to talk as loudly as possible enables them to get used to the appliance quickly.
• Increase in Saliva Production: when your child senses the new appliance, the mouth will increase saliva production. However, the problem subsides in a few days.
• Minor Irritation: the soft tissues of your child’s mouth will become slightly irritated with the appliance. In such cases rinsing with salt water and using orthodontic fax over the area causing the discomfort helps.

Lower lingual holding arches require minimal maintenance. However, it helps if your child is encouraged to follow the pediatric dentist’s instructions and avoid sticky, crunchy, and hard or chewy foods that might pull the wire or bands.

Children are recommended an orthodontic assessment by age seven initially. While they might not always indicate the need for treatment, it is an excellent time to begin monitoring your child’s smile progress and start treatment when it has the most impact. For example, using a lower lingual holding arch helps children to avoid severe crowding issues, which become evident when they don’t get space maintainers in Bloomfield, CT, when they lose a tooth or two. Parents think it is natural for children to lose their primary teeth. In addition, The LLHA also makes additional treatments more efficient and effective.

The lower lingual holding arch is a simple device capable of excelling. Parents must consider the LLHA as a retaining wall to prevent the molars from shifting forward and causing additional crowding issues. It is a crucial orthodontic tool that helps to create a beautiful, straight, and functional smile.

If you think your child has crowding issues discuss the problem with Bloomfield Pediatric Dentistry providing children with lower lingual holding arches to prevent the enable children to have a beautiful smile using a simple orthodontic tool. Consult them today to avoid severe crowding issues in your child’s mouth before it is too late.