All About Braces

How do braces straighten crooked teeth?
Braces use constant, gentle pressure, which over time, move teeth into their proper positions. Your braces are at work every moment of your orthodontic treatment. The two main components of your braces are: the brackets that are placed on your teeth and the main archwire that connects them. The bracket is a piece of shaped metal or ceramic that we affix to each tooth. The archwire is bent to reflect your "ideal" bite. In other words, it reflects the way we want you to look after treatment.

The wire threads through the brackets and, as the wire tries to return to its original shape, it applies pressure to move your teeth. Picture your tooth resting in your jaw bone. With pressure on one side from the archwire, the bone on the other side gives way. The tooth moves. New bone grows in behind.

Attached to your braces, elastics (rubber bands) exert the proper force that creates the right amount of pressure to move teeth. In order for this force to remain constant, elastics must be worn all the time and changed every day.

Different Types of Braces

There are many ways to straighten your teeth.Fixed appliances (braces) consist of brackets glued to the outer surface of teeth and bands that are cemented around the molar teeth. These are joined together by wires that provide forces to move the teeth into their correct positions. Other forces may be applied through elastics, coil springs or headgear.

Braces
Metal braces>>		Ceramic Braces>>
Lingual braces>>

Removable Appliances
Upper Removable Appliance>>		Lower Removable Appliance>>

Special Appliances
Bite fixer>>		Expander>>
Nance Appliance>>

Retainers
Clear retainer>>		Hawley Retainer>>
Fixed Lingual Retainer>>

Parts of the Braces

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Ortho Dictionary

Appliance
Anything your orthodontist attaches to your teeth which moves your teeth or changes the shape of your jaw.An appliance can be fixed or removable.

Archwire
The metal wire that acts as a track to guide your teeth along as they move. It is changed periodically throughout treatment as your teeth move to their new positions.

Band
A metal ring that is cemented to your tooth and goes completely around your tooth. Bands provide a way to attach brackets to your teeth.

Bond
The seal created by orthodontic cement that holds your appliances in place.

Bracket
A metal or ceramic part cemented (“bonded”) to your tooth that holds your archwire in place.

Coil Spring
A spring that fits between your brackets and over your archwire to open space between your teeth.

Elastic (Rubber Band)
A small rubber band that is hooked between different points on your appliance to provide pressure to move your teeth to their new position.

Elastic Ligature
The rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colors.

Headgear
Headgear uses an external wire apparatus known as a facebow to gently guide the growth of your face and jaw by moving your teeth into proper position. The force is applied to the facebow by a spring-loaded neck strap or head strap. The straps have a safety release that disconnects if the facebow is pulled or snagged. Headgear is a very important part of the treatment for some patients. It creates forces that guide the growth of the face and jaws. It also is used to move teeth into better positions or to prevent them from moving.
Maintaining constant use of the headgear will achieve the best results. If instructions on usage are not followed, treatment will take longer and the treatment plan may have to change.

Hook
A welded or removable arm to which elastics are attached.

Mouthguard
A device that protects your mouth from injury when you participate in sports or rigorous activities.

Palatal Expander
A device that makes your upper jaw wider.

Retainer
An appliance that is worn after your braces are removed, the retainer attaches to your upper and/or lower teeth to hold them in place. Some retainers are removable and others are bonded to the tongue-side of several teeth.

Separator (or Spacer)
A small rubber ring that creates space between your teeth before the bands are attached.

Wax
Wax is used to stop your braces from irritating your lips.

Wire Ligature
A thin wire that holds your archwire into your bracket.

Orthodontic Procedures

Banding
The process of fitting and cementing orthodontic bands to your teeth.

Bonding
The process of attaching brackets to your teeth using special orthodontic cement.

Cephalometic X-ray
An x-ray of your head which shows the relative positions and growth of the face, jaws, and teeth.

Consultation
A meeting with your orthodontist to discuss a treatment plan.

Debanding
The process of removing cemented orthodontic bands from your teeth.

Debonding
The process of removing cemented orthodontic brackets from your teeth.

Impressions
The process of making a model of your teeth by biting into a soft material that hardens into a mold of your teeth. Your orthodontist will use these impressions to prepare your treatment plan.

Ligation
The process of attaching an archwire to the brackets on your teeth.

Panoramic X-ray
An x-ray that rotates around your head to take pictures of your teeth, jaw and other facial areas.

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