J.Sheridan’s ESSIX (US, since 1993/1996)

The American orthodontist J. Sheridan developed his own Aligner System, that he called ESSIX, between 1993 and 1996. ESSIX is an acronym for S-Six which stands for ‘Sheridan’s Simple System for Stabilising the Social Six’ – the ESSIX-System was originally conceived to stabilise the front teeth. But then Sheridan found a number of different possibilities to also use it for achieving small movements of the teeth.

With ESSIX Aligners it is not only possible to make small adjustments to the models in the orthodontic laboratory but also to the Aligner itself by inserting slots and small pins. The slots free up the direction of movement of the teeth, whilst the pins act as pressure points. ESSIX Aligners are not suitable for bigger movements of the teeth or new impressions must be taken in order to manufacture a new appliance. These reasons explain why the ESSIX is best suited for small corrections of the front teeth.