To successfully complete your orthodontic treatment plan, patients must work together with the orthodontist. The teeth and jaws can only move toward their corrected positions if the patient consistently wears the elastics (rubber bands), headgear (night brace) or other appliances as prescribed.

The following describes the types of appliances that may be used during your treatment.

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 the teeth as they move. It is changed periodically as your teeth move to their new positions.

Band: A metal ring that is cemented to your tooth, going completely around it.

Bond: The seal created by orthodontic cement that holds the brackets to the teeth.

Bracket: A metal or ceramic brace cemented bonded to your teeth that holds the archwire in place.

Coil Spring: A spring that fits between the brackets and slides over the archwire to open space between your teeth.

Elastics (Rubber Bands): Elastics or rubber bands are attached to hooks on both the upper and lower braces to allow for correction of the bite. Typically, elastics are worn all day and night except for eating and brushing or about 22 hours per day. Wearing elastics not only creates a better bite but also results in a shorter time with braces.

Elastic Tie: The tiny rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colors.

Headgear (Night brace): A headgear is used to treat patients whose upper front teeth protrude or stick out over the lower front teeth. A headgear gently pulls the upper molars backward to create space to reduce the protrusion while restricting the forward growth of the upper jaw. Headgears are expected to be worn 12–14 hours per day. They are not worn to school, movies, mall or for sports, only during quiet times at home especially while sleeping.

Palatal Expander: An expander widens the upper jaw by applying gentle pressure on the upper molars each time an adjustment (activation) is made. Expanders are usually activated once per day, one turn on the expander, for approximately 4–6 weeks depending upon the amount of expansion required. Once the activation has been completed the expander will remain for another 5 months to allow bone to fill in where the upper jaw was expanded. Expanders are used to correct crossbites, where the lower back teeth are wider than the upper back teeth.

Retainers: Retainers may be either removable or fixed. They hold your teeth in their new corrected position after your teeth have been straightened and the braces removed. The more commonly used removable retainers are generally worn only while sleeping, for as long as necessary to maintain the corrected alignment. Third molars and/or clenching or grinding of the teeth may require indefinite nighttime wear of the retainers. Lack of or poor retainer wear will most likely cause a return of some crowding especially with the lower front teeth.

Separators (Spacers): Separators are little rubber bands that are usually placed between the back teeth to gently separate or push the back teeth apart so that orthodontic bands may be placed during the next appointment. The separators are removed before the bands are placed.