Watertown, SD (South Dakota) Orthodontists Robert A. Arnold, DDS, and Ryan W. Arnold, DDS


		\|For Children \|For Adults \|Common Treatments \|Ortho Dictionary \|Resources Choose a glossary: Parts of Braces \| Orthodontic Procedures 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 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. 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. 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, these clear aligners straighten your teeth with a series of clear custom-molded aligners. They 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. Back to Top