A short-term (3-5 months) high-pull headgear worn while retracting the buccal segments. Outer bow is high to help distally upright molar roots. You must be sure of patient compliance.

Indications for Use:

Sometimes we for-get that there are some cooperative patients out there. In those cases where the patient acquiesces to wear the headgear, they are told that it will be for a few months only. It is the best of both worlds. The molars are already in an overcorrected Class I relationship, so the headgear is used for anchorage while the upper buccal segments are being retracted. This is usually no more than a three-to four-month period.

Technique:

Most often, a high-pull head-gear is selected because its direction of force allows for molar uprighting on the already distally tipped molars. The outer bow is kept high, above the center of resistance of the tooth, and moderate-force loads applied (500-750 grams). The headgear can be used in conjunction with other anchorage methods so that if compliance wanes, the molars will not be allowed to rebound.

Considerations:

As with any headgear, if you are unsure about the ability of the patient to comply, it can be a somewhat questionable technique. We try to choose only those patients whose background and responsibility levels appear to be good. A cervical headgear should be used only in the strong muscular patterns, as it contributes to the bite-opening process and aggravates tipping of the molars.