Bite turbos
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What are bite turbos?
Bite turbos are small acrylic pads, mounds, or ramps that are bonded to the tongue side of the upper front teeth or on the chewing surface of any of the back teeth. At our office, they may be a natural color, red or blue color, or made of metal. Bite turbos are temporarily bonded to open your bite. Because they keep your teeth apart (open your bite) they allow your teeth to move without running into other teeth. Wearing bite turbos can reduce the amount of time required to fix certain problems, hence the name “turbo.” They are a temporary addition to your treatment.
I am having trouble biting together with bite turbos, is this normal?
When the bite turbos are initially placed on the front teeth, the back teeth will not come completely together when chewing. If they are placed on the back teeth, the front teeth will not touch. This is a temporary condition, and eating soft foods for the first week will allow you to tolerate this new type of bite. Your speech may be slightly affected but will return to normal within a week.
Why do I have bite turbos?
1. Biting on the bite turbos puts specific pressure on the teeth to help movement. Frequently this can be used to help patients with deep overbites, but can be used in other situations.
2. Biting on the bite turbos prevents biting on brackets and reduces the amount of breakage and/or damage to the opposing teeth.
What if my bite turbos break?
It is unlikely that a bite turbo will break loose. If one bite turbo does come off, it’s no problem. If you lose them both, please give us a call – we will probably schedule an appointment to have them replaced; however, if enough movement has been achieved, they may no longer be necessary.
