Several months ago, I was fortunate enough to attend Dr. David Galler’s Reingage course through Invisalign. It was revolutionary for me and my practice. My confidence in my clear aligner therapy has gone through the roof since taking that course. It really is the course that changed everything. It changed how we do IPR. It changed how we attach buttons. And it changed our instructions for patients with their aligners. Another of those big changes was the addition of Munchies EPS and Munchies Vibe. These adjuncts are really important in helping cases track and stay on schedule.
Munchies EPS (enhanced posterior seating) are rubber tools used to help patients with their orthodontic movements in clear aligners. They are made of different consistency rubber and have three different segments. One segment is specifically for premolars. It hugs the occlusal surfaces of both maxillary and mandibular premolars and engages down onto the buccal and lingual surfaces. The next segment has a larger notch that’s specifically for maxillary incisors. The last segment has a shallower notch specifically for lower incisors. The instructions that we give patients are to use the Munchies EPS for a few chews on the posteriors, maxillary incisors, and mandibular incisors every time they insert their aligners. We also advise patients to use the Munchies EPS by chewing around on them for four to five minutes before bed.
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Munchies EPS help the aligner seat all the way onto the teeth. This allows the aligner to put expansion force on the gingival of the tooth, which is vital. If we don’t get expansion force on the gingival of the tooth and only have it coronally, the tooth will not expand—it will tip. Tipping leads to posterior open bites. Munchies EPS help prevent this! We tell patients to use the pink Munchie for the first half of their trays; then transition to the blue for the second half of their trays. Patient compliance with Munchies EPS has been very good because it actually feels good for patients.
We have seen tracking increase from patients using their Munchies EPS, which is great for them and great for our practice. Munchies EPS are fairly inexpensive and should be a giveaway with your Invisalign case. They’re even cheaper if you are a member of the American Academy of Clear Aligners. They keep cases on schedule and on track. That saves us the cost, time, and frustration of midcourse corrections and refinements. Single to right field for Munchies EPS!
