The Kinetor is another removable appliance based on the Activator that was developed by Hugo Stockfisch and featured upper and lower plates that were joined together by two elastic tubes. The first publication of a dedicated textbook appeared in 1966. This made Stockfisch one of the most prominent authors of the so-called ‘functioning orthodontics’ movement, a forgotten doctrine belonging to the last century. Stockfisch believed that by biting on the flexible tubes in a certain way, the strength of the muscles could be used to correct a distal occlusion (Angle-Class II overbite). He also developed a set of pre-fabricated parts to facilitate the manufacture of the Kinetor in the laboratory. However, certain advantages that have been claimed over the mono-blocks (Activator – Bionator) have never been proven, whilst the appliance itself, in addition to being more time-consuming to manufacture in spite of the pre-fabricated parts, also malfunctions more easily and is problematic from a hygiene point of view. So, we are talking about an outdated appliance whose use can no longer be justified.
Caption: The Kinetor in position in the mouth: Near the two plates you can see all the wire parts and the two flexible tubes which hold the plates together. There’s really no more space to fit anything else into the mouth – Are children really supposed to walk around like this? This image illustrates far better than any words why this brace is no longer in current use.