Brushing: Step 1

Using a dry brush with a small amount of toothpaste place bristles where gums and teeth meet.

Brushing: Step 2

For 10 seconds on each tooth use circular, vibrating motions around the gum lines.

Brushing: Step 3

Every tooth of both arches should be brushed slowly.

Brushing: Step 4

Brush the lower teeth from the gum line up and the upper teeth from the gum line down. Brush the roof of your mouth and your tongue too!

Flossing: Step 1

Carefully thread unwaxed floss between braces and wire. You may find a floss threader helpful.

Flossing: Step 2

Carefully floss around the braces.

Flossing: Step 3

Carefully floss around the gum areas.

Flossing: Step 4

Carefully floss around each tooth.

Crowding of the teeth

Patient started treatment at age eleven and wore braces for twenty-six months. He loves his new smile.

Openbite: Front teeth don't touch

Patient sucked her thumb as a young child. She started treatment at age thirteen. She had braces and a special appliance — called a crib — to retrain the tongue, for twenty-eight months. Now she can bite the lettuce out of a sandwich.

Deep overbite: Lower front teeth bite into palate

This adult patient (age twenty-five) required braces and jaw surgery to correct his severe overbite, with treatment taking two years. His problem could have been corrected without surgery if he had been treated before he was a teenager.

Missing lateral incisors

This patient's lateral incisors were congenitally missing. She had braces for twenty months to move the teeth into the correct position, then the missing teeth were replaced with bonded "Maryland" bridges.

Underbite: Lower front teeth in front of upper teeth

Patient's underbite was causing her jaw joint discomfort and excessive wear patterns on her teeth. After thirty months of treatment starting at age thirty-two, she now finds smiling and chewing much easier.

Spacing of teeth

Patient was bothered by the spaces between his teeth. Braces closed the spaces and gave him an ideal bite in twenty-four months. Special glued-in retainers help keep the spaces closed.

Overbite: Protruding front teeth

At age ten, patient had a big overbite with the top teeth protruding beyond the bottom. She had two phases of treatment. The first helped her jaws to grow more harmoniously; the second aligned her teeth and bite. At age thirteen, she was proudly displaying her new smile.

Non-braces treatment

Sometimes braces are not needed to get noticeable improvements in tooth alignment. This patient was first seen at age seven for crowding of the lower permanent teeth. A procedure was performed to reduce the width of the adjacent baby teeth and the permanent incisors aligned on their own in nine months.

Phase I

Patient's parents were concerned about both aesthetics and the health of the erupting permanent teeth when they brought him to the orthodontist at age eight. The lower front teeth were crowded and they touched the palate, and the upper front teeth were extremely displaced from their normal positions. After twenty months of Phase I treatment with an expander and partial braces, patient's appearance and dental function was vastly improved.

Traditional Metal Braces

Traditional metal braces are the most common type of braces and are more comfortable today than ever before. Made of high-grade stainless steel, metal braces straighten your teeth using metal brackets and archwires. With metal braces, you have the option of adding colored elastics (rubber bands) for a more unique and colorful smile.

Gold Braces

Gold braces are similar to traditional metal braces in many ways. They are made of stainless steel, but are uniquely coated in gold. The gold coating may be considered a more cosmetic option than traditional metal braces. And, the cost of gold braces is surprisingly comparable to most clear braces.

Ceramic Braces

Ceramic braces are made of clear materials and are therefore less visible on your teeth than metal braces. For this reason, ceramic braces are used mainly on older teenagers and adult patients who have cosmetic concerns. While they are visually less prominent, they do require more attention to oral hygiene as ceramic braces are larger and are more brittle than their metal counterparts. For these reasons, ceramic braces tend to be used more on upper front teeth than on lower teeth.

"Invisible" Braces

Clear appliances (such as Invisalign®) use a series of invisible, removable, and comfortable aligners to straighten your teeth. And, no one can tell you are wearing those aligners because they are invisible! Not only are the aligners invisible, they are removable, so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment, plus brushing and flossing are less of a hassle. The aligners are comfortable and have no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment.

Learn more about Invisalign at www.invisalign.com.

Lingual Braces

Lingual braces are hidden behind the teeth and are therefore "invisible" when you smile. Lingual braces are 100% customized to match the shape of your teeth, and therefore the metal appliances are created uniquely for you. Lingual braces are a very reasonable option for athletes, models, actors, musicians who play wind instruments, and adult professionals.

Elastic Tie

Small rubber band that is hooked between different points on the appliance to provide pressure to move the teeth.

Loop in Archwire

Frequently used for closing space left by an extraction. Many archwires don't have a loop.

Archwire

The main wire that acts as a track to guide the teeth along. It's changed periodically throughout treatment, as teeth move to their new positions.

Bracket

Small attachment that holds the archwire in place. Most often, a bracket is cemented directly onto the tooth's surface, eliminating the need for a band.

Headgear Tube

Round, hollow attachment on the back bands. The inner bow of the headgear fits into it.

Coil Spring

Fits between brackets and over archwire to open space between teeth.

Tie Wire

Fine wire that is twisted around the bracket to hold the archwire in place.

Band

A thin ring of metal fitted around a tooth and cemented in place. The band provides a way to attach the brackets to the tooth.

Hook

Welded or removable arm to which elastics (rubber bands) are attached.

Elastic (Rubber Band)

Small rubber band that is hooked between different points on the appliance to provide pressure to move the teeth.

Elastics (rubber bands)

Wearing elastics (or rubber bands) improves the fit of your upper and lower teeth. Wear rubber bands as instructed and remember that the rubber bands work far more efficiently if they're worn as prescribed.

Headgear

Headgear is used to treat patients whose teeth are in an "overbite," with the upper jaw forward of the lower jaw, or an "underbite" with the lower jaw forward of the upper jaw. Headgear gently "pulls" on your teeth to restrict further forward growth of your upper teeth and jaw.

Herbst® Appliance

The Herbst appliance reduces overbite by encouraging the lower jaw forward and the upper molars backward. This fixed appliance is used mostly for younger, growing children and is worn for about 12-15 months.

Palatal Expander

The palatal expander "expands" (or widens) your upper jaw by putting gentle pressure on your upper molars each time an adjustment is made. Your orthodontist will instruct you about when and how to adjust your expander. When you achieve the desired expansion, you will wear the appliance for several months to solidify the expansion and to prevent regression.

Positioners

Positioners complete the final tooth movements in your orthodontic treatment. With your full cooperation, you should only need to wear the positioner appliance for 4-8 weeks.

Retainers

Retainers may be removable or fixed. They hold your teeth in their new, correct positions after your teeth have been straightened. Your orthodontist will instruct you on how to care for your retainer and about the duration of the wear. Wearing your retainer as directed is crucial to prevent regression of your treatment.

Separators or Spacers

Separators are little rubber doughnuts that may be placed between your teeth to push them apart so that orthodontic bands may be placed during your next appointment. The separators will be removed before we place the bands. Separators do not mix well with sticky foods, toothpicks, or floss.