The use of one or more Temporary Anchorage Devices (TADs) is widely accepted as a part of the orthodontic treatment. Their function is to be a point of anchorage from where to apply a force.
TAD’s are small titanium screws (mini-implants, mini-screws) with a length of 7-12mm, a diameter ranging 1.7-2.5mm, with various shaped heads. They are used in combinations with braces or other fixed appliances. Being so small, they aren’t too intrusive, and after some initial discomfort of the soft tissues as well as a pressure feeling around the area of insertion, they’re soon part of you like an earring or a piercing. The procedure of insert is quick and requires some local anaesthetic. Occasionally they can become loose, as they are only temporary and do not osseointegrate (connect with the bone) like a tooth implants. The oral hygiene should extend to the TADs (brush them!), if you keep them clean, plus you refrain from smoking and you avoid fiddling with hands, then you will increase the success rate.
TADs help with specific corrections, which historically could only be achieved by using other extra-oral devices like cervical headgear, a face mask, or through orthognathic surgery (which corrects the bite and the position of the jaws). TADs provide a fixed point (anchorage) to apply a force to move one or a group of teeth or as anchorage for a palate expander (which traditionally was attached to teeth). They can be placed in many different sites within the mouth; their use as part of comprehensive orthodontic treatment has generally proved to be safe and predictable.