Why Wear Rubber Bands on Your Braces?

If you plan to get metal braces, you might think they’ll be enough to straighten your smile. After all, their brackets and wires work well to move teeth into place! In reality, though, your dentist may have you wear rubber bands on the braces too. The latter items are sometimes needed to ensure effective treatment. As for why that’s the case, your local Coatesville dentist can explain. Read on, then, to learn why you’d need rubber bands with your braces, how they work, and tips on using them.

Why Wear Rubber Bands on Braces?

As you might know, braces exert constant pressure to move your teeth and jaws into place. However, each brace actually works independently of the other. They thus occasionally need help so that your aligned teeth bite correctly. Otherwise, the upper and lower arch won’t fit well together.

In these cases, the extra help comes from unique rubber bands. Also known as elastics, such bands fix your bite and your jaw’s alignment.

How Do These Bands Work?

If you receive rubber bands for your braces, you’ll wear them on each side of your mouth. More specifically, you’ll hook them onto a bracket attached to your top arch and one attached to your bottom arch. Doing so will increase the force on parts of your mouth, resulting in a properly aligned bite and jaw.

The bands’ position will vary based on your treatment needs. With an overbite, for example, the elastics will stretch around the hooks on the upper canines and the bottom first molars. Meanwhile, an underbite is fixed the opposite way – by running the bands from the lower front teeth to the upper back ones.

What are Some Tips for Using Them?

As it happens, there are tips you should practice when using rubber bands for braces. These include:

• Follow Your Orthodontist’s Directions: The bands’ effectiveness is based on compliance. If you don’t wear them as directed, your teeth will relapse, making your orthodontic treatment last longer.
• Meet the Daily Band Wear Time: For the rubber bands to work, you must wear them for 23 hours daily. Unless otherwise instructed, only take them out to brush, floss, eat, or wear a mouthguard.
• Keep Extra Bands Handy: It’s a good idea to bring extra rubber bands in case one breaks or gets lost. To that end, store some in a designated area in your home and put some in baggies to keep in your desk or locker.

In the end, rubber bands complement the straightening power of metal braces. Therefore, make sure to use the tips above so they enhance your orthodontic work.

About the Author

Dr. Mark Simeone is a dentist in Coatesville, PA. Having earned his DDM from Temple University’s Kronberg Dental School, he specializes in preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry. His office is also a certified provider of dental emergency care, as well as orthodontic services like metal braces and Invisalign. Dr. Simeone currently practices at Chester County Dental Arts and is reachable on his website and by phone at (610)-383-1600.