Braces 101 - All Words Used In Orthodontics

 

Parts of Your Braces

Appliance: Anything the orthodontist attaches to your teeth to move your teeth or to change the shape of your jaw.

Archwire: A metal wire which is attached to your brackets to move your teeth.

Band: A metal ring that is usually placed on your teeth to hold on parts of your braces.

Bracket: A metal or ceramic part that is glued onto a tooth and serves as a means of fastening the archwire.

Buccal tube: A small metal part that is welded on the outside of a molar band. The buccal tube contains a slot to hold archwires, lip bumpers, facebows and other things your orthodontist uses to move your teeth.

Chain, Orthodontic Chain: A stretchable plastic chain used to hold archwires into brackets and to move teeth.

Facebow, Headgear: Facebows are wire apparatuses used to move your upper molars back in your mouth, which creates room for crowded or protrusive anterior teeth. Generally, the facebow consists of two metal parts which have been attached together. The inner part is shaped like a horseshoe. This part goes in your mouth and is connected to your buccal tubes. The outer part has two curves. The curves go around your face, and connect to the breakaways or high pull headgear. To properly use the product, the inner bow needs to be inserted into your buccal tubes. An elastic neck band is placed around the back of the neck and attached to the outer bow of the headgear.

Ligating module/donut: A small plastic piece, shaped like a donut, which is used to hold the archwires in the brackets on your teeth.

Mouthguard: A device that is used to protect your mouth from injury when you are participating in sports. The use of a mouthguard is especially important for orthodontic patients, to prevent injuries.

Palatal Expander/RME: A device used to make your upper jaw wider. It can be removable or glued in (non-removable)

Retainer: An appliance that the orthodontist gives you to wear after the orthodontist removes your braces. The retainer attaches to your upper teeth and holds them in the correct position. You wear the retainer at night to make sure that none of your teeth move while your teeth settle and become more strongly attached to your jaw.

Separator: A rubber “o” ring similar to a donut which the orthodontist uses to create space between your back teeth for bands.

Wax: A clear wax used to prevent your braces from irritating your lips when your braces are first put on, or at other times.

The Orthodontist's Tools

Band Remover: A special plier which the orthodontist uses to remove bands from your teeth.

Bite Stick: A device the orthodontist uses to help put on your bands. The orthodontist puts the band in place, then asks you to bite down on the bite stick to help push the band in place.

Cephalometric X-ray: an orthodontic specific x-ray used to evaluated growth of the jaws and head in children, and also how the upper jaw and lower jaw relate to each other.

Cheek retractors: Small plastic pieces used to draw back your lips and cheeks so the orthodontist can more easily see your teeth and work in your mouth or take pictures.

Curing Light: A special ultraviolet light used to help attach brackets to your teeth.

Distal End Cutter: A special plier used to cut off the ends of your archwires.

Explorer: A hooklike fine pointed instrument used in examining the teeth.

Interproximal Stripper: A device used to remove some of the enamel from the spaces between your teeth. The stripper is used to create extra space for crowded teeth.

Pin and Ligature Cutter: A special plier used to cut off archwires, ligatures, etc.

Scaler: A tool with a curved hook on one end. The orthodontist uses the scaler to remove excess cement, and check for gaps.

Twirl On: A device used to help place ligating modules on brackets.

Orthodontic Procedures

Acid etch: A procedure where a weak acid is smeared on your teeth to ready your teeth for brackets. The acid etch is used to attach the adhesive which holds your braces on, to the teeth.

Banding: The process of cementing orthodontic bands to your teeth.

Bonding: The process of attaching brackets to your teeth using a special orthodontic glue.

The Consultation: A meeting with your orthodontist where he discusses your treatment plan.

Debanding: The removal of cemented orthodontic bands.

Debonding: The removal of orthodontic brackets from your teeth.

Extraoral photograph: Facial photos.

Impressions: The first step in making a model of your teeth. You bite into a container filled with alginate, and the alginate hardens to produce a mould of your teeth.

Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment: Orthodontic treatment usually done when you are 6-8. The objective of interceptive orthodontic treatment is to expand your palate and make other corrections, so that your later orthodontic treatment goes quicker and is less painful.

Ligation: A process where an archwire is attached to the brackets on your teeth.

Ligating: An adjective used to describe components used to attach archwires to brackets. For example, a ligating module is a small plastic piece that goes over the brackets to hold in your archwires. The newest types of braces are self-ligating which means they clip to the archwire without an elastic.

Panoramic x-ray: An x-ray taken by a machine that rotates around your head to give the orthodontist a picture of your teeth, sinuses and jawbones.

The records appointment: One of the initial appointments with your orthodontist. The orthodontist or his/her assistant takes pictures of you, x-rays, and impressions so that they can figure out what treatment needs to be done

Wax bite: A procedure to measure how well your teeth come together. You bite a sheet of wax and leave a bitemark in the wax. The orthodontist looks at the bitemarks to see how well your teeth are aligned.

Dental and Orthodontic Materials

Acrylic: A special plastic used to make false teeth, retainers, and other dental products.

Alginate: A soft compound made from alginate powder and water which is used to make impressions. It is tasteless or flavoured and completely safe.

Biteplane: A removable appliance made of acrylic designed to open a deep bite.

Nickel Titanium or (NiTi): An especially strong orthodontic wire which allows for rapid tooth movement.

Other Orthodontic Terms

Archform: The shape of the dental arch. For example, the orthodontist could say that you have a horseshoe archform or a "v"-shaped archform.

Crossbite: A malocclusion where some of your upper teeth are inside of your lower teeth when you bite down.

Crowding: An orthodontic problem caused by having too many teeth in too small of a space.

Deep bite: Excessive overbite; closed bite.

Dentition: The arrangement of the teeth.

Diastema: A space between two teeth.

Drift: Unwanted movement of teeth.

Extrusion: Tooth movement in the direction of eruption.

Mechanical extrusion: To pull the teeth so that it extends farther out of your gums.

Fixed appliance: Any orthodontic component that is cemented or bonded to the teeth.

Flared teeth: A term used to indicate the position of the teeth. The upper teeth are flared labially (toward the lip) a.k.a. buck teeth

Full orthodontic treatment: Getting braces on all upper and lower teeth

Inclination: The angle of the long axis of a tooth from a particular line of reference; the tilt or tip of a tooth.

Interocclusal registration: A wax bite measurement which is used to see how your teeth come together.

Interproximal stripping: Reduction of the enamel of the teeth on both sides of the tooth. This procedure is preformed to create space for crowded teeth.

Intrusion: Movement of a tooth back into the bone.

Lingual appliances: Orthodontic appliance fixed to the inside of your teeth. i.e., lingual appliances are attached to the part of your teeth next to your tongue.

Lingual arch: An orthodontic wire attached from molar to molar in the inside of your teeth.

Lingual retainers: A variation of the lingual arch going from canine to canine.

Malocclusion: Poor positioning of your teeth.

Class I Malocclusion: A malocclusion where your bite is OK (your top teeth line up with your bottom teeth) but your teeth are crooked, crowded or turned.

Class II Malocclusion: A Malocclusion where your upper teeth stick out past your lower teeth. This is also called an "overbite" or "buck teeth".

Class III Malocclusion: A malocclusion where your lower teeth stick out past your upper teeth. This is also called an "underbite".

Occlusion: The alignment and spacing of your upper and lower teeth when you bite down.

Open bite: A malocclusion in which the teeth do not close or come together in some area of your mouth.

Orthodontics: The treatment preformed to correct your bite and make your smile look wonderful.

Orthodontist: A dentist who has been specially trained to do orthodontics.

Orthodontia: Braces.

Overbite: Vertical overlapping of the upper teeth over the lower.

Overjet: Horizontal projection of upper teeth beyond the lower.

Retruded: A term used when your front teeth are slated lingually (i.e., toward the back of your mouth).

Rotation: A movement in which the tooth turned along the long axis of the tooth.

Stop: A bend or auxiliary attachment placed on a wire to limit the archwire from sliding or moving in the bracket slot of the bracket.

Tipping: A tooth movement in which the root of the tooth is tipped labially (lip) or lingually (tongue) to correct the angle of the crown of the tooth.

Torque: The rotation of a tooth on the long axis moving the root of the tooth in a buccal or labial direction.