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Parts of Braces
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Orthodontic Procedures
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 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, going completely around it. 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 Tie: The tiny 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 Tube: A round, hollow attachment
on your back bands. The inner bow of your headgear
fits into it.
Hook: A welded or removable arm to
which elastics are attached.
Ligature: A thin wire that holds
your archwire into your bracket.
Lip Bumper: A lip bumper is an 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.
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, while 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.
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
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.
Invisalign®: An alternative to
traditional braces, Invisalign straightens your teeth
with a series of clear custom-molded aligners. Invisalign
can correct some, but not all, orthodontic problems.
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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