Orthodontic Instruments

Orthodontic offices are full of specialized equipment. To ensure that our patients are comfortable with their treatment, we at the Orland Park office of Dr. Cynthia Wong wanted to provide an overview of some of the most commonly used instruments at our practice.

Dentists of all kinds use handheld mirrors and instruments with pointy tips called explorers. The explorer, or probe, is used to pick away tartar build-up and is especially important for cleaning the teeth of people with braces, but orthodontists also use it while applying elastics. Many of the pliers used in orthodontics are reverse-action to prevent objects from falling into the patient’s mouth. Howe pliers are used to place orthodontic wires, while distal end cutters are used to cut and taper the end of the wires so they will not injure the patient.

Several tools are used just for the application of molar bands. There is a pointed type of plier used specifically for stretching the elastic bands that are used to make space between the teeth before metal bands are placed. Pushers and burnishers are instruments that look like flattened explorers and are used to get the bands in place around the teeth and to shape them after application. Specialized pliers are also used to remove them.

Cynthia Wong, DMD, operates at 15614 S Harlem #B, Orland Park, Illinois, 60462. To contact her office, call 708-444-8341 or visit Dr. Cynthia Wong and send a message.

 

What Do Rubber Bands Do For Braces?

In some cases, when a patient is wearing dental braces, Dr. Cynthia Wong may need to supply the patient with rubber bands. While brackets, archwires, and ligatures are responsible for moving teeth along the gum line and the angle at which they point away from the gums, rubber bands pull the jaw forward or backward in order to line up your top and bottom rows of teeth to improve your smile and make your teeth fit together comfortably when you bite down.

Rubber bands attach to the braces in specific ways to apply proper pressure on your teeth. The constant, steady pressure moves teeth. Elastics must be worn consistently, usually 24 hours a day. Leaving your elastics off for as little as a day can allow teeth to move back and erase the progress you had made. The way in which the elastics attach to the braces dictates the direction of the tension, so the specific configuration of the rubber bands is customized for each patient. The rubber bands typically hook over loops on the brackets of upper and lower teeth and may be placed vertically, diagonally or in a zigzag pattern.

If you have questions about using rubber bands while wearing braces, give us a call. To learn more about the different types of braces available, visit www.drcynthiawong.com for more information. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Cynthia Wong in Orland Park, IL, call 708-444-8341.