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 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 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.
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 position.
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, the retainer attaches to your upper and/or lower 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.
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.
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: An x-ray of
your head which 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.
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.
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