what is a Nance Button??????

This is the place to post general questions and comments about all areas of orthodontic treatment. Before you post a question, use the forum's SEARCH tool to see if your question has already been answered!

New Members: YOU MUST MAKE A POST WITHIN 24 HOURS OF REGISTERING OR YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED. In other words, don't sign up unless you plan to actively participate in the message board immediately. This is necessary to keep out spammers and lurkers with bad intentions. Of course, you can read most forums on the board without registering.

DO NOT POST FULL-FACE PHOTOS or personal contact information on this website. We have had problems with people re-posting members' photos on fetish websites. Please only post photos of your teeth, not your whole face. Keep your email and your personal information private. Thank you.

Moderator: bbsadmin

Post Reply
Message
Author
hannahwebbo
Posts: 169
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2007 3:53 am
Location: United Kingdom

what is a Nance Button??????

#1 Post by hannahwebbo »

Hi guys

well i got my treatment plan in the post this morning and part of my treatment included having a nance button for anchorage support.

Can anyone tell me what a nance button is and what it does?? Also if anyone has had or has a nance button could you let me know your experiences with it?

Thanks very much

Hannah x

jc75
Posts: 23
Joined: Tue Oct 10, 2006 8:36 am
Location: Bucks, UK

#2 Post by jc75 »

Hello Hannah

I've also got a nance button - I've had it since the start of my treatment almost 8 months ago. Mine is basically a button like thing, about the size of about a 20p piece, that sits in the roof of my mouth with a wire coming out either side which then attaches to my molar bands. Hard to explain... It is there to hold my back teeth in place. I had a couple of pre-molars taken out and the nance is there to make sure the back teeth behind the gaps don't move forward into the gaps, so that the front teeth can move back. I've got an overjet that I am trying to sort out.

I am so used to it that I can hardly feel it any more but it did take a little while to get used to. It kind of felt like I constantly had a boiled sweet in my mouth and I found I produced more saliva than normal! Also, I think I did lisp a little bit at first, but not too bad.

Food sometimes gets stuck under it, which can be annoying, but that really is the only problem with it.

Try not to worry about it - it may feel a bit strange at first but you will get used to it really quickly. It doesn't bother me at all.

Lisa65
Posts: 3469
Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:12 pm

#3 Post by Lisa65 »

Hi there Hannah

Here is a pic of my nance button. It's used to hold the first molars in position either while the front teeth are pulled backwards, or in my case it was while my 2nd molars were being pushed backwards. It took a few days to get used to it, but in general they are not too much of an inconvenience.

Image

SandraJones
Posts: 333
Joined: Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:23 am
Location: Chicago

#4 Post by SandraJones »

Hey, this is really interesting. I've been looking up info about Nance appliances earlier, and I couldn't really understand how they work but I think now I'm getting it.

Some rely on a "button" and some don't, right ? I imagine the button provides better anchorage. In either case, the device presses against the front roof of the mouth and pushes back the molars ? And with braces on then all of the teeth are moved back ? This would be desirable if you are class II division 2 with forward flare of the central incisors ? The mechanics of these devices is fascinating. It's truly engineering of the mouth.
Nov 1960: born
1973 ?: palate expander
1973-1977: braces
Aug 1981: Le Fort I, posterior impaction to correct anterior open bite and class II malocclusion
Aug 2007: braces again to correct various alignment issues and class II malocclusion

Lisa65
Posts: 3469
Joined: Thu Jun 01, 2006 12:12 pm

#5 Post by Lisa65 »

Sandra, as far as I know, the ones without a button are usually just called a palatal arch or TPA, and their main function is to maintain arch width at the molars. They can also rotate molars. They aren't necessarily in full contact with the roof of the mouth.

A Nance, with its attendant acrylic button, will also rotate molars and maintain arch width, but also will provide anchorage using the the patient's hard palate to push against.

Using my own case as an example (I'm not vain honestly! :lol: ) I had to have my 2nd molars pushed back about 5mm using various distalizing loops and springs. Without the Nance appliance, my first molars would probably have been pushed forwards by the force - definitely an unwanted consequence as they are already too far forward! Remember Newton's 3rd law that each action has an equal and opposite reaction. The Nance won't push teeth backwards by itself, but it will stop unwanted forward movement while teeth are moved using other methods such as springs, implants, headgear etc etc.

Post Reply