Choose a glossary:
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.

Archwire: The metal wire that acts as a track to guide your teeth along as they move. It provides light pressure to move your teeth. The archwire is changed periodically throughout treatment as your teeth move to their new positions.

Band: A metal ring that is cemented to your tooth and goes completely around your tooth. Bands provide a way to attach brackets to your teeth.

Bond: The seal created by orthodontic cement that holds your braces in place.

Bracket: A metal or ceramic part cemented (“bonded”) to your tooth that holds your archwire in place. This “handle” on your tooth transfers light pressure from the archwire and elastics to the teeth.

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 braces to provide pressure to move your teeth to their new position.

Elastic Tie: A very small “rubber band” that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. These ties come in a variety of colors.

Expander: A device that makes your jaw wider.

Headgear: Headgear uses an external wire apparatus to guide the growth of your face and jaw by moving your teeth into proper position. The force is applied to the external wire appliance by a neck, head strap or facial mask, depending on the type of problem.

Headgear Tube: A round, hollow attachment on your back bands. The inner bow of your headgear fits into/hooks onto it.

Hook: A welded or removable arm to which elastics are attached.

Ligature: A thin wire that holds your archwire into your bracket. It may also tie teeth together underneath the archwire.

Lip Bumper: A lip bumper is an archwire and is sometimes attached to a molded piece of plastic. The lip bumper holds back the molars 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. If you wear braces, you need to wear a specialized orthodontic mouthguard that is available in our office. Non-orthodontic mouthguards can damage braces and add time and expense to your treatment!

Retainer: An appliance that is worn after your braces are removed, the retainer attaches to your teeth to hold them in place. Some retainers are removable and 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. It fits between teeth, and feels like food caught between the teeth.

Tie Wire: A fine wire that is twisted around your bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Wax: Wax is placed on an area if something feels sharp. It should be used only when there is something that is irritating you and used only sparingly.

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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.

Cephalometic X-ray: A specialized x-ray of your head taken in our office. This x-ray shows the relative positions and growth of the face, jaws, and teeth. It may show either a lateral or frontal view.

Consultation: A meeting with Dr. Kapit to discuss treatment. We will sometimes refer you to discuss treatment with your general or pediatric dentist, an oral surgeon, or a periodontist.

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. These impressions are used to prepare your treatment plan.

Interproximal reduction: The process of removing small amounts of tooth structure to create space or improved shape of the teeth for movement and tooth stability. This procedure is also called IPR or ARS.

Invisalign®: An alternative to traditional braces, Invisalign® straightens your teeth with a series of clear custom-molded aligners.

OrthoClear®: An alternative to traditional braces, OrthoClear® straightens your teeth with a series of clear custom-molded aligners.

Panoramic X-ray: An x-ray in which the specialized x-ray machine in our office rotates around your head to take pictures of your teeth and jaws.

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