Activator: A plastic mouthpiece that helps fix the bite by influencing jaw growth and moving teeth. This appliance is worn in conjunction with a headgear.
Appliance: Anything your orthodontist prescribes which moves your teeth or changes the shape of your jaw.
Archwire: 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 that goes completely around your tooth and is cemented in place. Bands provide a way to attach brackets to your teeth as well as a place to hook up headgear. We also use bands in the construction of space maintainers and expanders.
Bond: The seal created by orthodontic cement that holds your appliances in place.
BraceAid: An anesthetic gel applied to the lips and cheeks to relieve discomfort.
Bracket: A metal or ceramic appliance bonded to your tooth.
Coil Spring: A spring that fits between your brackets to push the teeth apart and either open/close space between certain teeth.
E-Chain: A series of elastic ties that connect several teeth together used to close spaces or move a group of teeth in unison. They come in a variety of colors.
Elastics (Rubber Bands): An elastic (rubber band) is a small rubber band that is hooked between different points on your appliance to improve the fit of your upper and lower teeth (the bite). Wear rubber bands exactly as instructed-wearing them incorrectly can actually be detrimental to your treatment. Remember that the rubber bands only work if they're worn as prescribed.
Elastic Tie (O-ring): The tiny rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colors.
Headgear: Headgear is used to treat patients whose teeth or jaws do not fit together properly. Headgear gently "pulls" on your teeth to move them into a better position and positively influence jaw growth. A head or neck strap is used in conjunction with either bands on the teeth or an activator appliance.
Headgear Tube: A hollow attachment or sleeve on your bands. The facebow of your headgear fits into it.
Hook: A small metal arm attached to the bracket or wire to which elastics can be attached.
Ligature Tie: A thin wire that holds your archwire into your bracket. Often used in place of an o-ring.
Lip Bumper: Small strip of plastic that can be placed over the brackets to prevent rubbing on the lips.
Mouthguard: A device that protects your mouth from injury when you participate in sports or rigorous activities.
Palatal Expander (Hyrax, RME): The palatal expander "expands" (widens) your upper jaw by putting gentle pressure on your upper back teeth each time an adjustment is made. Your orthodontist will instruct you about when and how to adjust your expander. When you achieve the desired expansion, you will wear the appliance for several months to solidify the expansion and to prevent the teeth and jaw from returning to their previous position.
Retainer: Retainers can be used in limited treatment situations to move one or a few teeth into a better position. They also hold your teeth in their new, correct positions after your teeth have been straightened. Retainers may be removable or fixed (cemented in the mouth). Your orthodontist will instruct you on how to care for your retainer and about the duration of wear. Wearing your retainer as directed is crucial to maintaining the success of your treatment.
Separator or Spacer: Separators are small doughnut-shaped rubber bands that are placed between your teeth to push them apart so that orthodontic bands may be placed around the teeth during your next appointment. The separators will be removed before bands are placed.
Space Maintainer (LLHA, Nance): A fixed appliance that is used to maintain space and allow permanent teeth to erupt. They often reduce the likelihood of needing to extract (remove) permanent teeth due to crowding.
Wax: Wax is used to cushion your braces and stop them 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.
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 and to make retainers.
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.
