Ortho Dictionary
Parts of Braces | Orthodontic Procedures
Parts of Braces
Appliance Anything your orthodontist attaches to your teeth that 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 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 appliances in place.
Bracket A metal or ceramic part cemented ("bonded") to your tooth that holds your archwire in place.
Coil Spring A spring that fits between your brackets and over your archwire to open space between your teeth.
Crossbow (Xbow) Class II Corrector The Crossbow is a phase one appliance that is used in patients where the upper teeth are ahead of the lower teeth. It is an alternative to the Herbst appliance in that it is not removable by the patient. It can also be used to open space for the upper canine teeth. It has the advantage over other appliances in that the spring that supplies the tooth moving force can be placed on one or both sides.
Elastic (Rubber Band) A small rubber band that is hooked between different points on your appliance to provide pressure to move your teeth to their new positions.
Elastic Tie The rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colors.
Headgear Headgear uses an external wire apparatus known as a facebow to gently guide the growth of your face and jaw by moving your teeth into proper position. The force is applied to the facebow by a spring-loaded neck strap or head strap. The straps have a safety release that disconnects if the facebow is pulled or snagged.
Headgear Tube A round, hollow attachment on your back bands. The inner bow of your headgear fits into it.
Hook A welded or removable arm to which elastics are attached.
Ligature A thin wire that holds your archwire into your bracket.
Lip Bumper A lip bumper is an archwire attached to a molded piece of plastic. The lip bumper holds back the molars on your lower jaw 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.
Palatal Expander A device that makes your upper jaw wider.
Retainer An appliance that is worn after your braces are removed, our retainers are removable.
Separator (or Spacer) A small rubber ring that creates space between your teeth before the bands are attached.
Tie Wire A fine wire that is twisted around your bracket to hold the archwire in place.
Wax Wax is used to stop your braces from irritating your lips.
Orthodontic Procedures
Banding The process of fitting and cementing orthodontic bands to your teeth.
Cephalometic X-ray An x-ray of your head that 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.
Indirect Bonding The process of placing the brackets on the patient's model and creating a transfer tray which is used to bond the brackets on the patient's teeth. This improves the accuracy of the bracket position which reduces overall treatment time. It also reduces the time it takes to place the braces in the patient's mouth.
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.
