A tongue crib is an oral appliance that goes into the mouth to aid in the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). It acts as a splint to hold the tongue forward and in place, preventing it from falling back and relaxing against the back of the throat. Tongue cribs are most often made of acrylic, plastic or metal, though there are some models that can be made of foam or rubber. Tongue cribs are designed to gently hold your tongue forward so that you can breathe more easily when sleeping at night, which reduces snoring and improves your quality of sleep.
What are tongue cribs?
Tongue cribs are a popular cosmetic dental procedure. Many people opt for tongue studs, but if you want to make sure that other people know about your oral jewelry, tongue cribs might be more your style. They look exactly like what their name implies—tiny cradles on your tongue that can hold an even tinier piece of jewelry, called a retainer. There are two different types of tongue stud retainers. One looks very similar to traditional braces, but it is meant for use when you’re not wearing actual braces.
Why would you use them?
Tongue cribs are used to align teeth in a relatively permanent way. They’re great for people who have: 1) back pain from shifting or misaligned jaws, 2) difficulty fitting into their mouth because of overcrowding, 3) crooked or rotated teeth. While invisalign doctor site is a slightly invasive method of straightening your teeth, it provides some really fast results and very often requires only one visit to correct years worth of dental issues. It can also reduce your risk of needing more invasive oral surgery later on.
Are tongue cribs effective?
Tongue cribs (also known as tongue retainers or lingual braces) are a type of dental retainer used to fix misaligned teeth. They’re normally recommended by invisalign doctors in patients who need more than just traditional braces, or as an alternative to removable retainers. How effective are tongue cribs? It depends on which brand you buy and your individual circumstances. The strength of the brace is determined by your doctor and factors like how severe your alignment problem is, so it’s hard to make generalizations.
Benefits and costs of using one
Tongue cribs might not be on your radar, but for some people, particularly those with extreme overbites or underbites, these devices are a worthy investment. Most tongue crib manufacturers don’t consider their products to be orthodontic treatment; instead, they describe them as protective orthodontic appliances that promote healthy jaw growth. There are no studies showing whether or not tongue-crib use can actually prevent teeth from drifting out of alignment; however, studies show that moving around multiple times per day can help slow permanent tooth movement in children and teens.
