How Are Braces Put On?

When you or your parents decide that its time for braces, there are always questions as to how they are put on. Some people wonder if will braces hurt? You will normally go to the orthodontist and either have one or two longer appointments that may be from an hour to an hour and half. Some orthodontic offices split the first two appointments up and some apply all the braces in one appointment.

They should have explained to you if you need bands placed on your molars or not. Some people do not need them and they will have brackets placed on all teeth instead. If you do need bands you will have seperators placed first. These are placed about one week to a few days before your banding and bracketing day. The seperators are flossed in between your molars in the back . Sometimes you may need 4 and some times 8 or more. Depends on if you have your 12 year molars or not. These are slightly uncomfortable and it will feel like you have a piece of meat stuck in between your teeth that you can not remove. You are also not supposed to floss while they are in or eat anything that is sticky including gum! The purpose of the seperators is to create space so that the bands will fit around your molars. If you do not have these placed it will be very uncomfortable when trying to put the bands on your teeth. In some cases your teeth may be too close together and they will not be able to place a band.

The next step is to have the bands and brackets placed. They will remove the seperators and try on some bands. These are round metal rings like a ring for you finger, but this is for your tooth. Like everything in your body every tooth may have a different size band becuase it can be bigger or smaller. When trying them on they will have you bite on what is called a bite stick. This allows the band to fit properly around the tooth. After finding the correct size of band they will remove it. Then the ortho cement or “glue” is applied to the band.It will then be placed right back on the same way it was when they tried it one. After on a special light is applied to the tooth to dry the glue.

Now for the brackets. A mouth retractor will be used to hold your mouth open. This allows for the teeth to stay dry and easy access to the teeth. The suction or the straw may also be used to collect the salivia in your mouth. This does not hurt you at all. A cleaning solution is then applied to all teeth that need brackets. This is normally blue. It is called etch.Water is then applied to remove the etch. After this a little brush with what is called primer is rubbed on your teeth. They will then possibly use the light again to dry it or just use air to dry it.

Now you are ready for your brackets. The brackets are placed on your teeth with the glue on the back of the bracket. They are aligned and then use the light to dry the glue. You now have braces!Next step they place the wire on top and bottom if needed. It does not hurt you may just feel pressure. Now the fun part! If you have traditional metal brackets you can choose a color or colors of your choice! You get to change this everytime you come in for an adjustment. Everything will now be on and the orthodontist or the assistant will explain the care for the braces and what not to eat.

You are now on your way to perfect teeth 🙂