Orthodontic Dictionary
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 as they move. It is changed periodically throughout treatment as your teeth move to new positions.
- Band
- A metal ring that is cemented to your tooth that goes completely around it. Bands provide a way to attach appliances 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.
- Elastics (Rubberbands)
- A small rubber band that is hooked between different points on your appliance to provide pressure to move your teeth to a new position.
- 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.
- Hook
- An arm that is attached to your bracket or archwire to which elastics are attached.
- Ligature Tie
- 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, the retainer attaches to your upper and/or lower teeth to hold them in place. Some retainers are removable, while 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.
- Wax
- Wax is used to stop your braces from irritating your lips.
Orthodontic Procedures
- 3-D Scan
- A digital model of your mouth is made by scanning your teeth with a 3-D intraoral scanner. Your orthodontist will use these scans/models to prepare your treatment plan and make appliances from.
- Aligners
- An alternative treatment to traditional braces, aligners straighten your teeth with a series of clear, custom-molded aligners. Aligners can correct some, but not all, orthodontic issues.
- Banding
- The process of fitting and cementing orthodontic bands to your teeth.
- Bonding
- The process of attaching brackets to your teeth using special orthodontic glue.
- Cephalometric 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.
- Debonding
- The process of removing orthodontic brackets from your teeth.
- Wire Placement
- 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.
