There are so many parts of braces that it can be intimidating. What is this orthodontist putting in my mouth? Will it come loose? What is that braces part for anyway? Relax. We describe the parts of braces and what they are used for so that you can better understand the parts and the process.
Brackets and bands
Orthodontic treatment is like herding cats in that each tooth wants to do its own thing. The way that the orthodontist manages this oral chaos with traditional braces is to move each tooth individually, more or less. To do this, the orthodontist will place a single bracket on each tooth. This bracket can be on the front of the tooth, which is the conventional way of applying dental brackets. Alternatively, the dental brackets can be placed on the tongue side of the tooth—so-called lingual brackets. Dental brackets are essentially glued to the tooth with an adhesive.
If a bracket is not used to corral the tooth, a band will be used to hold on to it. A dental band slides snugly over the tooth, like a ring on a finger. The band is then tightened around the tooth to keep it in place. Bands are usually only used on the back teeth (molars).
Adhesives
If a dental bracket is going to be used, which is more common than bands, it must be firmly secured to the tooth. This is done by using an adhesive and gluing the bracket to the tooth. However since the enamel coating of the tooth is naturally quite smooth, the adhesive is not inclined to stick without a little help. The orthodontist will apply an acid to the tooth to etch it and make microscopic holes in the surface of the tooth. These very tiny holes provide a place for the adhesive to grab on to and stick. The bracket is then placed on the adhesive. Once this sets, the dental bracket holds tight.
Wires (Archwire)
Individual dental brackets are nice but without some force applied to them, the brackets will not move the teeth. That is where the archwire comes into play. An archwire is the thin metal wire that is roughly the same shape as the row of teeth. The archwire attaches to each bracket either through a part of the bracket (self-ligating bracket) or with the help of ligatures. The archwire applies tension to the brackets and, by extension, to the teeth. Over time the archwire will pull or push the teeth into the desired position.
Elastics
Referred to by some as rubber bands, elastics are attached to brackets or buccal tubes between both rows of teeth. Elastics pull the rows of teeth into a different alignment. Elastics are an important part of orthodontic treatment though many patients, especially kids and teens, dislike them. Sadly if they are prescribed by your orthodontist and not used, it can mean that braces will need to stay on even longer and/or orthodontic treatment will not be fully effective.
Ligatures
When you look at someone with traditional braces and older style brackets (like twin brackets), you will see a small round rubber loop around each bracket and the archwire. This braces ligature is there to hold the archwire to the bracket. Braces ligatures go by several names such as ligating modules and O-rings. While braces ligatures may be made of rubber, look like rubber bands and have elastic properties, they should not be confused with elastics. Ligatures come in hundreds of colors which make them fun for kids and teens—each time they visit the orthodontist they are given a choice of colors since their braces ligatures are replaced at these visits. Newer brackets do not require ligatures .
Chains
An orthodontic chain is similar to a ligature in that it surrounds brackets on traditional dental braces. The major difference between an orthodontic chain and a ligature (ligating module) is that the orthodontic chain goes across several teeth and a ligature is only on one. The purpose of an orthodontic chain is to close a gap between two teeth (diastema). An orthodontic chain can be used to hold the archwire to two or more brackets instead of a braces ligature.