Reliable Treatment You Can Trust
Modern metal braces at Smile Studio have come a long way. These orthodontic workhorses have a long history of successfully straightening smiles at every age for patients throughout Zachary and the surrounding areas.
What Are Braces Made of?
Brackets
Dr. White's brackets are durable and made from a mix of stainless steel, nickel, and other metals.
Brackets have little hooks or doors where a wire is threaded. Dr. White can secure a bracket by closing the door or placing an elastic over the top of the wire.
Glue
Dr. White will use this to attach the brackets to your teeth. It's common to attach the bracket directly to the tooth with glue.
Wire
This thin piece of metal runs from one bracket to another. Dr. White will change the wire's shape and curvature to move your teeth in the right direction.
The wire will attach all of your bottom or upper teeth in many cases. We might occasionally cut the wire if connecting just a few teeth is better for your treatment plan.
Elastics
If you need bite correction, elastics are essential. Dr. White usually strings elastics between an upper bracket hook and a lower bracket hook.
This pulls your upper jaw backward to correct an overbite or the lower jaw back to correct an underbite. We use rubber bands for many different situations, especially when we want to put extra pressure on the teeth or jaws.
Orthodontic Bands
We cement these stainless steel rings to your teeth using dental bonding agents. These bands anchor your braces and orthodontic appliances, but we don’t always use them for everyone.
Spacers
If we need to create space between your teeth, we put spacers on the job. We use these small elastic "donuts" or rings before placing your bands. You might also hear them called "separators.”
Elastic Ties/O-Rings/Ligatures/Colors
Dr. White uses these tiny rubber rings or bands to attach the archwire to the brackets. Elastics are less rigid than spacers, and you can get them in dozens of colors.
