When you come into the office to have your new braces installed, you might wonder what all we’re installing. Below we’ve compiled a list of the elements of braces, and we hope reading about them will put you at ease.

Elements of Braces:

  • Elastic Tie — A very small rubber band, and it holds the archwire in place.
  • Archwire — The main part of the braces. It is a wire guide that tracks the teeth. The wire may be moved from time to time during treatment to continue straightening a patient’s teeth.
  • Loop in Archwire — This is not in all braces. If it is used, it is to close a gap left from a tooth extraction.
  • Bracket — This piece of equipment holds the archwire in place. Formerly, many patients used colored rubber bands to keep the brackets in place, but now since most brackets are cemented on, this is no longer necessary.
  • Band — This is a metal band that fits completely around a tooth. It is used to help adhere brackets to the tooth.
  • Hook — This is the piece of equipment that is used to attach the elastics, also known as rubber bands, around the bracket.
  • Elastic — These elastics are used to connect one point of the appliance to another. The purpose is to apply pressure, and encourage the teeth to move into the proper positioning.
  • Headgear Tube — This is a hollow area near the back bands, which allows the headgear to fit into the braces. This is only used on patients who require headgear.
  • Coil Spring — If needed, this would fit between a bracket and the main archwire. Its purpose is to open up the space between the teeth. This is not necessarily used on all patients.
  • Tie Wire — This is another piece of equipment that is used to keep the archwire in place. It is a thin wire that wraps around the bracket.

That’s it! We hope that by reading about each component you or your child will be less worried about getting your new braces.