The Carriere Motion Appliance (CMA) significantly cuts your orthodontic treatment time and gets your mouth ready for Invisalign or traditional braces. Here’s how it works.
CMA aligns your back teeth from the canines to the molars on the top row of your mouth with an appliance called a distalizer. The distalizer attaches the canine to the first molar, and anchors to a bottom molar with an elastic band. Over a period of 3 to 5 months, the elastic bands create a gentle force that rotates and straightens first molars, correcting your bite and aligning your teeth.
At first, you may experience discomfort in your cheeks for up to a week as you adjust to the appliance and elastic bands. You may also experience soreness as your teeth begin to move. Talk to your orthodontist about taking ibuprofen or acetaminophen until the pain subsides.
During treatment, we encourage you to continue brushing and flossing as usual. Make sure to clean around the CMA anchors on the top arch and the elastic anchors on the bottom arch. Also, rinse your mouth with water after meals and snacks to keep the appliance clean.
We consider the Carriere appliance one of the best and most efficient tools for correcting the “buccal segment” or the canines, premolars and first molars on the top arch of your mouth. This area is usually the most difficult to align, but with CMA we can do so in a short amount of time and with less office visits for our patients. It may also shorten overall treatment time by up to 4 months.
Talk to one of our orthodontists to see if the Carriere system is right for you. Its ease of placement and shorter treatment times may be just what you need to get your smile on the right track.