By Sandra L. Ipsen, CDA, Langley, BC, Canada
When I first started working with Herbst screws, we received a large number of emergency calls from patients who were experiencing discomfort caused by the attachments. At the time, the only solution was to use cotton rolls tied onto the rods, as wax would not stick to the parts.
Comfort Caps from Comfort Solutions were inspired when the use of Herbst and spring appliances became popular.
When I first started using Comfort Caps, I would put them on at the time of the emergency appointment. After seeing how well the patients healed, our practice decided to place Comfort Caps on all patients at the time of cementing. This helped to eliminate patient discomfort and drastically reduced the number of emergency calls.
Treatment with the Herbst or Springs are extremely popular, as non-compliance is not an issue. But since they are worn 24/7, we found that sores and areas of discomfort were always on one or both cheeks. The prevalence of these types of irritations caused us to realize that most of the discomfort was happening during sleep.
Comfort Caps are also made for several other appliances now. They eliminate the discomfort factor for the patient while also saving both parents and your office time coming in for these emergency calls. OP
