Habit Breaking Appliances

The roller ball is used to break a finger sucking habit or a tongue thrusting habit. We understand this can be a difficult habit to break but it is necessary to prevent incorrect growth of your jaws.

For Tongue Thrusting: With your tongue, try to spin the ball from front to back. This will help to retrain your tongue.

For Finger Sucking: The ball makes it difficult to fit your finger or thumb in your mouth comfortably and removes the sensation of sucking.

• Please be patient! Your habit will not stop overnight. It will take time to adjust and it may take several months for the habit to stop.
• The first few days will be an adjustment period.  Your teeth may be a bit sore. Please feel free to take Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
• Initially, you will produce extra saliva in your mouth. This will subside in a few days.
• You may have difficulty pronouncing some words at first. We recommend reading out loud in the beginning until you get used to it.
• You may also feel that you can’t swallow the way you did before this is only temporary.
• Eating may feel awkward at first so try softer foods and take smaller bites.

• Please brush your appliance when you brush your teeth.
• Do NOT eat any sticky, chewy candy or gum. These can loosen the appliance.
• Do NOT eat nuts or popcorn. These can get caught under the wires of the roller ball and irritate your gums. “Pirates Booty” popcorn is fine. It has no shell.