Kirkpatrick & Lai Orthodontics
A family business for over 50 Years   (918) 747-1346

Ortho For Adults

ORTHO DICTIONARY

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, going completely around it.  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, or “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.

Color Tie: The tiny rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Elastic (Rubber Band): A small rubber band that is hooked between different points on your appliance to provide pressure to move your jaw placement, or bite, to its correct position.

Forsus: A fixed appliance (using springs) that provides light, continuous force to correct moderate overbites.

Herbst: A pin-and-tube, spring-loaded appliance (cemented in the patient’s mouth) used to correct severe overbites.

Hook: A welded or removable arm to which elastics are attached.

Mouthguard: A device that protects your mouth from injury when you participate in sports or rigorous activities.

Rapid Palatal Expander (RPE): 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, while 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.

Steel Tie Wire: A fine wire that is twisted around your bracket to hold the archwire in place, helping with minor rotations.

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 (Ceph): 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, Invisalign straightens your teeth with a series of clear custom-molded aligners.  Invisalign can correct some, but not all, orthodontic problems.  *Our office does not offer Invisalign treatment.

Ligation: The process of attaching an archwire to the brackets on your teeth.

Panoramic X-ray (Pano): An x-ray that rotates around your head to take pictures of your teeth, jaw, and other facial areas.