Ortho Dictionary
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» Parts of Braces
» Orthodontic Procedures
Parts of Braces
Appliance: Anything your orthodontist attaches to your teeth, which moves your teeth or changes the shape of your jaw.
Arch wire: The metal wire that acts as a track to guide your teeth as they move. It is changed periodically throughout treatment as your teeth move to their new positions.
Band: A metal ring fitted to your teeth and held in place with dental cement. Mostly done on the molars only.
Bracket or Bond: A small metal or ceramic brace cemented or bonded to your teeth that holds the archwire in place. Brackets and bands along with archwires are the main components of braces.
Crossbow: An appliance used to correct overbites and upper crowding. It can also be used to simultaneously widen the upper jaw. It is one of the appliances we use to avoid using headgears. It is usually used before braces begin.
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. These are generally worn 24 hours per day except for brushing.
Elastic Tie: The tiny rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colors.
FORSUS: An appliance that attaches to braces that helps to correct overbite. It is similar in action to elastics or rubber bands but can be easier to wear for some patients.
Headgear Tube: A round, hollow attachment on your back bands. The posterior part of the FORSUS and the Crossbow attach there.
Headgear: As a general rule, we don't use headgears in the office since there are better, more efficient ways to move teeth. The one exception to this is in young patients with underbites. A reverse pull headgear can be used with a palatal expander to make the upper jaw larger to match better with the lower jaw.
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 a special round 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 to be able to relieve crowding without extractions.
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 front 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.
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 or treatment progress.
Debanding: The process of removing cemented orthodontic bands from your teeth.
Debonding: The process of removing cemented orthodontic brackets from your teeth. When done at the end of treatment, both debonding and debanding are done together.
Incognito: special, custom-made braces attached to the inside of your upper and/or lower teeth. They act like regular braces and can do almost everything regular braces do. For patients who would like the stealth of Invisalign treatment but who's orthodontics requires fixed appliances.
Impressions: The process of making a model of your teeth using a soft material that stiffens into a mold of your teeth. Your orthodontist will use these impressions to help 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 most, but not all, orthodontic problems.
Panoramic X-ray: An x-ray that rotates around your head to take pictures of your teeth, jaw, and other facial areas.
