Temporary Anchorage Device

A temporary anchorage device or TAD is an adjunctive appliance placed specifically to provide orthodontic anchorage and is removed after biomechanical forces are applied.1 TADs can be further categorized by their key characteristic either a “screw” or a “plate”.2 Terms used in the literature or by international lecturers to reference TADs include mini-implants miniscrews micro-implants miniplates onplates miniplate anchor screws and many more.1 Although there is no general consensus on terminology “mini-implant” is the most frequently used term in the orthodontic literature.3 TADs are becoming more common in modern orthodontics because they eliminate the need for patient compliance thus producing better results in higher anchorage requirement cases.