Orthodontic Micro Screws (TAD)

The movement of teeth requires a force to adjust the position of the tooth in the bone. Usually, a tooth is moved by using the adjacent teeth as ‘anchors’, but there are cases whereby the anchorage provided by other teeth is inadequate. In those cases, a micro screw can be placed into the area and used as an anchor. This is very successful but it does require a minor procedure to place the micro screws. The micro screws are then removed when they are no longer needed. For that reason, they are often called Temporary Anchorage Devices (TAD).  Occassionally the screws will loosen due to the forces placed on them; an  they could need to be replaced during the orthodontic movement.

TAD’s are also placed to faciliate more significant movement of many teeth at one time or when the direction of the movement is difficult to achieve with standard orthodontics.

The features of the mircro screw placement will be discussed with you before your treatment so you have a complete understanding of their value in your situation. Dr. Wittenberg has placed TADs for many purposes and has a very significant experience with their application.