If you become an orthodontic patient of ours and have braces placed on your teeth, you may often wonder how the braces work and what makes them move your teeth. Our O’Fallon, MO orthodontist Dr. Tom Mooney is here to answer any questions that you might have, and want to make sure that you are comfortable and confident throughout treatment. Patient education is a big part of patient success, and if you are a patient with braces in O’Fallon, MO, you might be interested in what each part of your braces does!
- Bands - Bands are the metal rings that are usually placed on your teeth to hold on parts of your braces.
- Brackets - Brackets are the small metal or ceramic modules attached to each tooth. They serve as guides to move the teeth and hold the archwire in place.
- Archwire - A metal wire which is attached to your brackets to move your teeth.
Elastics – Elastics, or rubber bands, help move the upper and lower teeth relative to each other, ultimately achieving a better bite. The orthodontic rubber bands are typically effective for correcting overbites, underbites, or other types of alignments of the jaw.
- Hooks – Hooks are small attachments on the brackets, which are used to attach elastic, or rubber bands.
- Coil Spring – The coil spring fits between the brackets and over the archwire to help open or maintain the space between two teeth.
If you have any questions about the different parts of orthodontic braces, feel free to contact our office and we’ll be happy to assist you. Mooney Orthodontics serves the families of O’Fallon, Lake St. Louis, Cottleville, Troy, St. Peters, and St. Charles, MO as well as the surrounding communities with high quality orthodontic care. Schedule your first visit today!