What's orthodontics?

What orthodontics is

ADA MouthHealthy describes orthodontics as a dental specialty focused on diagnosing, preventing, intercepting, guiding and correcting bad bites. The goal is a healthy bite, with teeth that line up well with the opposing jaw, which makes biting, chewing and speaking easier. The AAO's glossary gives its formal name as orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics.

What orthodontists do

The AAO's glossary says orthodontists are dental specialists who diagnose, prevent and treat dental and facial irregularities. They graduate from an accredited dental school and then complete at least two years of full-time study in an accredited orthodontic residency program. ADA MouthHealthy says orthodontic correction may be recommended for teeth that are crowded, protruding, spaced too far apart, meeting in an abnormal way or not meeting at all.

What orthodontic treatment includes

ADA MouthHealthy lists braces and aligners to guide teeth into position and retainers to preserve and stabilize the result. The AAO says braces can address crooked or crowded teeth, jaw alignment and bite problems including overbites, underbites and crossbites, and can help with impacted, missing or extra teeth. Orthodontic treatment was once associated mainly with children and teens, but ADA MouthHealthy says today many adults seek it, and orthodontists can treat patients of any age. The AAO recommends a first orthodontic evaluation around age 7.

What are spacers for braces?

Healthline says spacers, also called separators, are small devices placed between back teeth, usually molars, to create a little room so the orthodontist can fit metal bands around those teeth before braces go on. They are usually rubber bands or small metal rings, typically placed about a week before braces and left in for roughly one to two weeks. The AAO's glossary describes spacers as tiny elastic rubber bands placed between molars one or two weeks before braces.

Insertion can cause pressure and pinching, and soreness is usually worst in the first two days. Healthline says to avoid hard or sticky foods, not to floss between the teeth where spacers sit because you could dislodge one, and to call the orthodontist if a spacer falls out.

What are elastics?

The AAO says orthodontic elastics are small rubber bands that work with braces or aligners to apply extra force that braces alone cannot, to help move teeth and correct stubborn bite problems. Your orthodontist chooses where they connect. You wear them as prescribed, wash your hands before putting them in or taking them out, remove them to eat and brush and put fresh ones on afterward, and replace them daily or as your orthodontist recommends. Do not double up, because it will not speed alignment and may harm your teeth and jaws. Elastics can contain latex, so tell your orthodontist if you are sensitive.

What are power chains?

The AAO's glossary defines a power chain as interconnected elastic ligatures stretched across several teeth to hold the archwire in the bracket slots, used at certain stages to apply extra force to move teeth. Healthline says orthodontists attach them in place of the individual elastic bands that normally hold the wire in each bracket, and use them to close gaps, including gaps left after extractions, even out spacing, rotate teeth and correct the midline.

Healthline says they may be needed for a few weeks or several months, lose force over time and are replaced at adjustment visits, and that soreness after a new chain is normal. It lists acetaminophen for discomfort and says ibuprofen and naproxen should be avoided because they slow tooth movement, which matches Cleveland Clinic but differs from some other sources, so ask your orthodontist.

What colors of braces should I choose?

Elastic ties and power chains come in many colors. Healthline says power chains come in a range of colors, as individual bands do. The sources we read do not say that color has any clinical meaning, so choose what you like. Coffee, tea and red wine can stain teeth, according to the AAO, and the sources do not say how much they stain colored ties, so ask your orthodontist.

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