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Custom-made Hawley retainer
The Hawley retainer is a removable orthodontic retention appliance custom-made for the upper or lower dental arch. Its construction combines an acrylic baseplate with wire components designed to retain the appliance and maintain the tooth positions achieved after the active phase of orthodontic treatment.
At KarDent, Hawley retainers are manufactured according to the clinician’s prescription using working models, impressions or intraoral scans. The treating clinician determines the type and extent of retention and provides instructions for appliance use.
Two Hawley retainer design options
At KarDent, the Hawley retainer is available in two main design options:
- with a continuous labial bow,
- with a continuous labial bow and soldered Adams clasps.
In the first option, a continuous wire component runs along the labial surfaces of the teeth and extends around the dental arch according to the prescribed appliance design.
In the second option, Adams clasps are soldered to the continuous labial bow to provide additional appliance retention. The number and position of the clasps are adapted to the conditions reproduced on the working model and to the instructions included in the laboratory prescription.
The required design option should be clearly specified when placing the order.
Appliance design
The appliance consists of an individually formed acrylic baseplate combined with the selected continuous labial bow design. Depending on the prescription, the construction may be customised in terms of:
- the configuration of the continuous labial bow,
- the number and position of the Adams clasps,
- the extent of the acrylic baseplate,
- the shape and finishing of the acrylic component,
- the acrylic colour,
- additional components specified by the clinician.
The wire components are individually formed on the working model. In the version incorporating Adams clasps, the clasps are precisely soldered to the continuous labial bow.
Hawley retainers for the upper or lower arch
The appliance is manufactured separately for the upper or lower dental arch. The configuration of the continuous labial bow, the position of the clasps and the extent of the acrylic baseplate are adapted to the conditions reproduced on the model and to the submitted documentation.
The laboratory does not alter the selected design option or appliance construction without prior consultation with the clinician.
Manufacture based on models or scans
The Hawley retainer may be manufactured from a physical model supplied to the laboratory, an impression or an intraoral scan. In a digital workflow, the working model is produced using 3D printing technology.
The prescription should specify:
- the upper or lower dental arch,
- the version with a continuous labial bow or with a continuous labial bow and soldered Adams clasps,
- the required extent of the acrylic baseplate,
- the number and position of the clasps,
- any additional design modifications.
Complete and accurate documentation enables the laboratory to manufacture the appliance in accordance with the prescribed design and reduces the need for additional clarification during production.
