Ortho Dictionary
Choose a glossary:
Parts of Braces
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 tooth movement. The size and shape are 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 very secure way to attach brackets to your teeth.
Bond: The seal created by orthodontic cement that holds your braces 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 braces to provide pressure to move your teeth to their new positions.
Elastic Tie: The rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colours.
Headgear: Headgear uses an external wire apparatus known as a facebow to gently guide the growth of your face and jaws exerting pressure to your teeth. 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 accidentally pulled or snagged.
Headgear Tube: A round, hollow attachment on the bands on your back teeth. 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.
Splint: A device used to temporarily simulate a more perfect bite to allow jaw joints to function more ideally. It reduces the impact of a poor bite on jaw joint function. Often used to diagnose jaw joint dysfunction.
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.
Orthodontic Procedures
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.
Cephalometric X-ray: An x-ray of your head which shows the relative positions of teeth and jaws as well as being used to assess growth of the face, jaws, and teeth.
Consultation: A meeting with the orthodontist, Dr. Lamont, to discuss a particular treatment plan or treatment options.
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. Dr. Lamont will use these impressions to prepare your treatment plan.
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 images of your teeth, jaw and other facial areas.