|
 Choose a glossary:
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.
Invisalign®:
An alternative to traditional braces, Invisalign straightens your
teeth with a series of clear custom-molded aligners. Invisalign can
correct some, but not all, orthodontic problems.
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.
|
|
