This is a listing of commonly used terms in orthodontics
and what they mean.
Archwire.....the name of the main wire that connects all of
the teeth in either the upper or lower "arch" of teeth.
Bands...........a metal ring fitted around the molars and
cemented in place. It has a tube-like attachment that the wire is
terminated in.
Biteplate.........a removable acrylic device that keeps
the teeth from coming together fully in the back of the mouth. Sometimes
used in very deeply overlapping front teeth when there is fear that bracket or
tooth breakage may occur in the initial stages of treatment.
Braces.............a combination of bands around the molar teeth
and brackets cemented to the front of the other teeth and all connected by
archwires.
Brackets........the attachments that are bonded (glued)
to the front surface of the teeth. Force is delivered to the tooth from the
archwire through them.
Chains....similar to ties but linked together.
They can be cut to any length and place force between the teeth to draw them
together along the archwire or rotate them.
Coil Springs.......a wound spring that can be placed
over an archwire and compressed between teeth to force them apart or in a
specific direction.
Elastics......otherwise known simply as rubber
bands. They are worn from one area of the mouth to another area to provide
a specific direction of force in bite corrections.
Headgear.....an apparatus that slides into tubes on
the outer surface of the molar bands and is connected to a head or neck
strap. Sometimes referred to as a "night brace" because that is
the only time it would be requested to be worn in our office and most others.
Retainers....a fixed or removable device that helps
to stabilize the orthodontic correction once the active stage of treatment is
finished (see Treatment FAQs).
Single ties...the same as ties below. We usually
refer to them this way when we are applying a combination of chains and ties.
Steel ties...........stainless steel thin wire ties that are
twisted and clipped. They are used very rarely these days but were a
standard at one time.
Ties......the elastic rings that
hold the archwire into the slot on the bracket. They come in standard gray
or a variety of colors that the patient can choose from.
TM
