Understanding Braces: The Main Components

You may have gotten pretty familiar with the dentist over the years. After all, you see them at least twice a year, and there isn’t usually much variation between appointments. Once orthodontics enter the picture, however, you have a whole new world to get familiar with, especially when it comes to braces. How well do you know the main components?

Brackets

Brackets are arguably one of the most obvious, visible parts of braces. They are the small metal squares that get attached to the teeth. Brackets can be made from stainless steel, which is a silver gray, or ceramic, which is more tooth colored. Once attached to the teeth, the brackets are what make it possible to move the teeth, acting as something of a gripping point from which the teeth are moved.

Archwire

The archwire is pretty much exactly what the name suggests. It’s a wire that arches over the entirety of the braces, connecting the brackets and bands. The job of the archwire is to move the teeth. Once attached to the brackets, the teeth move along the path dictated by the archwire. They are held in place by ligature ties, also sometimes called o-rings. As the teeth move, the archwire loses its effectiveness. That is why there are adjustment appointments. These appointments allow Dr. Maccaro to remove the ligature ties, adjust and replace the archwires, and replace the ligature ties. That way the teeth will continue to move as designed.

Bands

All the brackets and archwires won’t do any good if they aren’t anchored somewhere in your mouth. That’s where the bands come into play. Bands are metal rings that are placed around your back molars. They are attached to your teeth with a type of cement called dental cement. The archwire connects to the bands at a small metal attachment that is welded to the outside of the band. Because the bands must go around the whole tooth, Dr. Maccaro may place a spacer between your teeth in the week or two leading up to the braces application if there isn’t space for the bands already.

Once you understand the components of braces, it can be a lot easier to navigate appointments involving them. It always helps to know what your orthodontist is talking about, and to know what terms to use to accurately communicate with them regarding the braces. Once you understand the main components of braces, you’ll be that much more prepared to converse with Dr. Maccaro about them.

Here at Maccaro Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry, we believe that early orthodontic treatment is essential to a healthy smile. Learn more here.