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Parts of Braces

Appliance: Anything your orthodontist attaches to your teeth which moves your teeth or changes the shape of your jaw.

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

Band: A metal ring that is cemented completely around your tooth. Bands are most commonly used on back teeth and provide a way to attach brackets to your teeth.

Bond: The seal created by orthodontic cement that holds your appliances in place. The term “bonding” usually applies to brackets that are glued directly to teeth with the need for a band.

Bracket: A precision metal or ceramic part cemented (“bonded”) to your tooth that holds your archwire in place and allows appropriate forces to be applied to the tooth.

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 light, consistent pressure to move your teeth to their new position.

Elastic Tie: The tiny rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colors. These are usually called “O”s or O-rings by the patients.

Headgear: An auxiliary orthodontic device which fits over the top of the head or behind the neck. Headgears are not used in our office, as the appliance system we utilize can accomplish needed tooth movement without the need for a headgear.

Hook: A welded or removable arm connected to an archwire, and to which elastics are attached.

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

Lip Bumper: A lip bumper is a special variety of archwire attached to a molded piece of plastic. The lip bumper holds back the molars on your lower jaw to provide more space for your other teeth. Infrequently used in our office.

Mouthguard: A device that protects your mouth from injury when you participate in sports or rigorous activities. An orthodontic mouthguard is different from ordinary mouthguards in that it is designed to have extra space for the braces to fit into. Patients wearing braces should not use standard mouthguards as they do not have space to accommodate the brackets, band and wires and can actually cause your braces to break.

Palatal Expander: A device that makes your upper jaw wider.

Retainer: An appliance that is worn after your braces are removed to hold your teeth in place and minimize undesirable changes after orthodontic treatment. Some retainers are removable, while others are bonded to the tongue-side of several teeth.

Separator or Spacer: A small rubber ring or metal spring that creates space between your teeth before the bands are attached.

Tie Wire: A fine wire that is twisted around your bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Wax: Wax is used to stop your braces from irritating your lips, cheeks or tongue.

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.

Cephalometric 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.

Invisalign®: An alternative to traditional braces made of clear virtually undetectable plastic, Invisalign straightens your teeth with a series of clear custom-molded aligners. Your orthodontist can tell you if Invisalign is a good choice for correcting your orthodontic needs.

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

Panoramic X-ray: An easy-to take type of x-ray made by a sophisticated x-ray machine that rotates around your head and which creates a picture showing both jaws and all of your teeth as well as some other facial areas. This type of x-ray does not require the use of any films that are placed in the mouth, which makes it very comfortable for the patient.