| Appliance |
Anything the orthodontist attaches to your teeth to move your teeth or to change the shape of your jaw.
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| Arch Wire |
A metal wire attached to your brackets to move your teeth.
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| Band |
A metal ring that is cemented to a tooth.
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| Bond |
The seal created by orthodontic cement to hold appliances in place.
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| Bracket |
A metal or ceramic part that is cemented to the tooth and serves as a means of fastening the arch wire.
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| Breakaway |
A breakaway is a small plastic piece with an internal spring, which is used to provide force on a facebow.
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| Buccal Tube |
A small metal part that is welded on the outside of a molar band. The buccal tube contains slots to hold arch wires, lip bumpers, facebows, and other things your orthodontist uses to move your teeth.
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| Chain |
A stretchable plastic chain used to hold arch wires into brackets and to move teeth.
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| Crossbite |
When a lower tooth slips to the outside of an upper tooth.
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| Elastics |
Small rubber bands that are hooked form one tooth to another, to serve as an activating force to move teeth.
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| Facebow, Headgear |
A facebow is a wire apparatus that is 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 that 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 are connected to the breakaways or high pull headgear.
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| Lighting Wire |
A thin wire used to hold the arch wire into the bracket.
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| Lip Bumper |
A lip bumper is used to hold the molars on your lower jaw back to create more space for other teeth. The lip bumper consists of an arch wire which is attached to a molded piece of plastic. You mount the arch wire in the buccal tubes on your lower jaw and the plastic piece rests against your lips.
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| Models |
The white plaster records of your teeth, which come from the impressions.
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| Neck Strap |
A neck pad is a cloth covered cushion which you wear around your neck when you put on your facebow, to which the breakaways are attached.
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| Palatal Expander |
A device used to make your jaw wider.
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| Retainer |
Usually an acrylic appliance that is worn after the braces are removed. The retainer attaches to your upper and/or lower teeth and holds them in the correct position. You wear retainers for a lifetime.
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| Separator |
A plastic module or metal spring used to create space between your teeth for bands.
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| Ties |
Small elastic modules placed around the brackets to hold the wire in place.
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| Wax |
A clear wax used to prevent your braces from irritating your lips and cheeks.
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| Banding |
The process of cementing orthodontic bands to your teeth.
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| Bonding |
The process of attaching brackets to your teeth using special orthodontic
cement.
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| Cephalometric X-ray |
An x-ray of the head that shows whether your teeth are aligned
properly, and if they are growing properly.
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| Consultation |
A meeting with the orthodontist where he/she discusses your treatment
plan.
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| Debonding |
Removal of cemented orthodontic appliances.
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| Extra-oral Photographs |
Facial photos.
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| Impressions |
Soft clay like material, which is placed in a small tray that fits over the teeth. This creates a mold for us to use.
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| Ligating |
An adjective used to describe components used to attach arch wires to brackets. For example, a ligating module is a small plastic piece that goes over the brackets to hold in your arch wires.
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| Panoramic X-ray |
An x-ray taken by a machine that rotates around your head to allow the orthodontist to view the upper and lower jaw of all the teeth, supporting bone, sinuses and non-detailed look at the jaw joint.
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| Tightening of Braces |
A process which occurs every 6-8 weeks so that the orthodontist can make adjustments to the arch wires and/or make arch wire changes.
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| Wax bite |
A piece of wax that the patient bites into so that the orthodontist can measure how the teeth come together.
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