Mara
A MARA appliance serves as a bite advancer to treat your overbite. At first it will probably feel awkward to hold your jaw forward while eating. Your teeth will not fit together well, and you will not chew perfectly. However, things will improve substantially after a while. For now, you should eat soft foods that require minimal chewing.
You will probably wear the MARA at least a year. One of the advantages of this appliance is that you do not have to wear a headgear, nor do you have a bulky retainer in your mouth that makes it difficult to talk.
A reminder: the arms of the MARA are only guides to show you where to bite. Do not bang or chew on them – or they will become loose. If you use common sense and remember to avoid candy and crunchy foods, you can expect that a single MARA device will last during the entire year of treatment. If any parts of the MARA become loose, please call us and bring them in immediately for repair.
If the MARA irritates your cheeks, place a small piece of cotton over the area, ideally while you sleep. If the irritation continues, please call us and we will adjust the MARA.
Your bite may change over the next few months and the MARA will probably need to be adjusted occasionally. You may notice some small spaces temporarily between your lower teeth. These will close later with braces.
