Ask us about the invisible braces

Braces

SEPARATORS are small rubber circles that are placed between your teeth for about a week to make it easier to put brace bands around your back teeth when the braces go on.

.....BANDS are thin metal rings carefully fitted to each back tooth. They are cemented onto these teeth. Each band has a bracket, a hook, a tube or slot which gives the orthodontist a way to attach with a wire onto each tooth and control the movement.

.....BRACKETS are made of metal or ceramic and are bonded directly onto the front surface of your teeth. These work the same as bands in moving the teeth.

We use several types of brackets: SILVER METAL (stainless steel), GOLD METAL (stainless steel washed with gold), LOW FRICTION brackets which the wire slides easily through the slot, and CERAMIC brackets which are clear with reinforced metal slots (these are generally placed only on upper teeth and have some drawbacks which we will be glad to discuss with you).

.....WIRES are placed into the slots of your brackets after the braces are bonded to your teeth. These wires are what move your teeth! The first wire is a space-age heat sensitive wire and is designed to stiffen up with heat (like body temperature, or drinking hot sugarless liquids). Movement of this wire slows down with cool liquids. During your treatment there will be two or three wire strengths, the final one being the strongest and stiffest.

.....TIES are the colored rubber "O" rings that hold the wire into the slot on each bracket. Ties come in lots of fun colors and are changed at each visit. You can have bright, holiday colors or just go with something more sedate - it is your choice!

HEADGEAR is a very important part of some patients' treatment. Headgear creates forces that guide the growth of the face and jaw. It also prevents teeth from moving in the wrong direction. With regular wear (14 hours + a day) you can achieve the best results and may be able to wear the headgear for a shorter number of months.

HERBST OR CBJ APPLIANCE is designed to correct an overbite and underdevelopment of the lower jaw. This appliance is cemented onto molars and worn inside the mouth until the patient's bite is corrected. It is generally worn for 5-6 months, depending upon the amount of correction needed. It can be an excellent appliance in getting the necessary correction without too much bother!

ELASTICS apply pressure needed to move the teeth into their correct position. To achieve these results instructions must be followed carefully (how much to wear them and when to replace or change them). The patient has to be responsible to carry extra elastics all the time and not forget to wear them! Elastics get "tired" and need to be replaced when that happens. They can cause your teeth to hurt a little at first. This is from the movement they are making your teeth do, which is our goal. The tenderness will only last a few days. Wearing elastics well will speed treatment along so the braces can come off earlier than targeted!

EXPANDERS are needed when the dental arches are too narrow or are too small. This narrowness can determine how much room there is for the permanent teeth and crossbites. A Hyrax expands the bone of the upper arch by widening at the suture. Lower expansion with an E-arch (expansion-arch) occurs by expanding the bone around the teeth. Once the arch is widened or expanded enough it is necessary to leave the expander in to hold and stabilize so new bone can fill in. Often, expansion can allow alignment of the teeth without extractions.

BITE BUTTONS are small acrylic "buttons" that are bonded to the inside of the upper front teeth to prevent the upper teeth from hitting lower brackets. These are needed when a patient has a very deep bite, when their upper teeth cover most or all of the lower teeth when biting together. Bite buttons are usually just needed for the first 2 or 3 months of braces until the bite opens up and those upper front teeth stop hitting against the lower braces!