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Orthodontic Terms
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Arch Wire
Brackets
Band & Loop (B & L)
Elastics (Rubber Bands)
Functional Appliances
Headgear
Lower Lingual Arch (LLA)
Malocclusion
Occlusion
O rings
Overbite
Overjet
Palatal Widening Appliance
Retainers
Separator
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ARCH WIRE
The part of your braces which actually
moves the teeth. The arch wire is attached to the brackets by
small elastic donuts or ligature wires. Arch Wires are changed
throughout the treatment. Each change brings you closer to the
ideal tooth position.
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BRACKETS
Brackets are the "Braces" or small attachments
that are bonded directly to the tooth surface. The brackets are
the part of your braces to which the dentist or assistant attaches
the arch wire.
Occasionally, a bracket may come loose and become an irritation
to your mouth. You can remove the loose bracket and save it in
an envelope to bring to the office. Call the office as soon as
possible and make an appointment to re-glue the bracket.
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BAND & LOOP (B & L)
A Band & Loop is routinely used to hold
space for a missing primary (baby) posterior (back) tooth until
the permanent tooth can grown in.
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ELASTICS (RUBBER BANDS)
At some time during treatment, it may
be necessary to wear elastics to coordinate the upper and lower
teeth and perfect the bite. Once teeth begin to move in response
to elastics, they move rapidly and comfortably. If elastics (rubber
bands) are worn intermittently, they will continually "shock" the
teeth and cause more soreness. When elastics are worn one day
and left off the next, treatment slows to a standstill or stops.
Sore teeth between appointments usually indicate improper wear
of headgear or elastics or inadequate hygiene. Wear your elastics
correctly, attaching them as you were told. Wear elastics all
the time, unless otherwise directed. Take your elastics off while
brushing. Change elastics as directed, usually once or twice
a day.
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FUNCTIONAL APPLIANCES
These are used to help modify the growth
of the jaws in children. The theory behind their action is that
if you hold a jaw in a specific position long enough, that it
will grow into that position. What you usually get is a combination
of a little jaw growth with a lot of tooth movement. These are
not universally accepted, as they do not always work.
The first of these appliances
were removable and are still very popular. They are made of plastic
and wire. Some of their names are Frankel, Bionator, and Twin-block.
A different style is actually fixed to the teeth and uses a spring
action to hold the jaw into position. These have names like Herbst
and Jasper Jumper.
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HEADGEAR
Often called a "night brace". The headgear
is used to correct a protrusion of the upper or lower jaw. It
works by inhibiting the upper jaw from growing forward, or the
downward growth of the upper jaw or even by encouraging teeth
to move forward, if that is the case.
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LOWER LINGUAL ARCH (LLA)
A lower lingual arch is a space maintainer
for the lower teeth. It maintains the molars where they are, it
does not move them. This is fabricated by placing bands on the
molars and connecting them to a wire that fits up against the
inside of the lower teeth. It keeps the molars from migrating
forward and prevents them from blocking off the space of teeth
that develop later. This is used when you have the early loss
of baby teeth or when you have lower teeth that are slightly crowded
in a growing child and you do not want to remove any permanent
teeth to correct the crowding.
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MALOCCLUSION
Types of Malocclusion:
- Class I Malocclusion:
A Malocclusion where the bite is OK (the top teeth line up
with the bottom teeth) but the teeth are crooked, crowded
or turned.
- Class II Malocclusion:
A Malocclusion where the upper teeth stick out past the lower
teeth. This is also called an "overbite" or "buck teeth".
- Class III Malocclusion:
A Malocclusion where the lower teeth stick out past the upper
teeth. This is also called an "underbite".
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OCCLUSION
The alignment and spacing of your upper
and lower teeth when you bite down.
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O RINGS
O rings, also called A-lastics, are little
rings used to attach the arch wire to the brackets. These rings
come in standard gray or clear, but also come in a wide variety
of colors to make braces more fun. A-lastics are changed at every
appointment to maintain good attachment of the arch wire to the
bracket, enabling our patients to enjoy many different color schemes
throughout treatment.
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OVERBITE
Vertical overlapping of the upper teeth
over the lower
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OVERJET
Horizontal projection of the upper teeth
beyond the lower.
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PALATAL WIDENING APPLIANCE
An appliance which is placed in the roof
of the mouth to widen the upper dental arch. The maxilla, or upper
dental arch, is joined in the center by a joint, which allows
it to be painlessly separated and spread. Temporarily you may
see a space develop between the upper two front teeth. This will
slowly go away in a few days. Once this has occurred, the two
halves knit back together and new bone fills in the space.
Care of appliance: Brush as usual.
Brush the appliance and roof of the mouth thoroughly. Rinse often
to clean any food lodged between the arch and appliance.
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RETAINERS
At the completion of the active phase
of orthodontic treatment, braces are removed and removable appliances
called retainers are placed. To retain means to hold. Teeth must
be retained or held in their new positions while the tissues,
meaning the bone, elastic membranes around the roots, the gums,
tongue and lips have adapted themselves to the new tooth positions.
Teeth can move if they are not retained. It is extremely important
to wear your retainers as directed!
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SEPARATOR
A plastic or rubber donut piece which
the dentist uses to create space between your teeth for bands.
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