What Does Rubber Bands Do For Braces

Understanding rubber bands for braces.

What does rubber bands do for braces.

Joseph thompson 1 comment during the course of orthodontic treatment a patient with braces may have to wear elastic rubber bands to help with the correction of their malocclusion. An orthodontist will instruct the patient exactly which teeth the rubber bands should connect and this might change month to month. They provide the connective force necessary to move the teeth and jaw into the proper alignment. There are several parts to braces.

Having to wear braces is enough to have to adjust to but sometimes your orthodontist will also give your rubber bands to wear as well. Rubber bands might help adjust overbites underbites or other orthodontic issues. Rubber bands are an important part of the orthodontic treatment. First there are the brackets which are the square metal pieces bonded directly to the teeth.

The small rubber or metal elastics more commonly called rubber bands that surround your braces are technically called elastic ligatures a ligature is used primarily to keep the archwire held into the slot on the bracket but they can also direct the teeth in a particular direction depending on the type of ligature used and how it is tied onto the tooth. Why do orthodontists use rubber bands with braces. Orthodontic rubber bands or elastics are one of the most common tools orthodontists use to straighten your teeth. Posted on august 29 2012 september 8 2016 author dr.

Braces rubber bands work by latching on to small hooks found on the brackets that have been affixed to the teeth one on the top row and one on the bottom row. Rubber bands are needed to address overbites and underbites because the brackets and archwires of braces don t actually fix these issues. They have an important job to do adding extra tension to your teeth to help move your teeth in the right position. We use rubber bands for almost every patient who receives traditional metal braces as they provide the necessary connective forces needed to move your jaws and teeth into proper alignment but what do rubber bands do for braces.