Our equipment and materials

Braces or Bands
These terms are used interchangeable and refer to an appliance stuck on teeth which, together with wires and elastics, put pressure on the teeth and pull or push them in certain directions.

Bands
These are metal rings which are more often used around molar teeth. They are cemented in place and have a tube into which the archwire can be place.
When headgear is worn is connects into a tube on the band of the upper molar teeth.

Separators
A band which needs to be cemented around a tooth is made of thin metal but it is not thin enough to slide between teeth in most cases. In order to get the band onto the teeth a little elastic ring is stretched around the gap between the teeth and as the ring tries to return to its original shape the ring pushes the teeth apart just enough for the band to fit in. The separator or ring is left between the teeth for a few of days and may make the teeth tender at first as it does it's work.

Brackets
These are metal, ceramic or clear plastic appliances that are "bonded" onto the surface to teeth. They are constructed with a slot in them which is designed to have an archwire through it. The slot is made with precision so the orthodontist can place wire, which is fairly loose within the slot for earlier visits, and gradually change to a wire that fits tighter. This gives the orthodontist control over the angle and position of a tooth in 3 dimensions.

Archwires
Progress in the technology of archwires has been a major part of the "magic" of orthodontics in the last 10 years.
Archwires are now available which have a memory. That is, they are shaped to a particular curve and can be threaded in and out of unlevel, crooked teeth and the wire will overtime return to its original shape.
For fine movement of individual teeth wires may be bent and molded. These archwires do not have memories.

Archwires are held into the slots in brackets with elastic modules or ligature( available in lots of different colors -for every occasion!).