Rubber bands, also called elastics, frequently help the orthodontist adjust your dental bite or how your upper and lower teeth fit together. If you have an overbite, crossbite, underbite, or open bite, your orthodontist may prescribe rubber bands to wear with your braces.
How Braces Work
Dental braces are a proven method to straighten teeth and eliminate bite issues. Treatment with braces can handle more significant alignment issues than other methods.
Braces consist of three main components: the bands around the molars, the brackets cemented to the teeth, and the archwire that connects them. Braces exert pressure on the teeth to encourage them to move into new positions. The orthodontist carefully adjusts the archwire to facilitate tooth movement.
How Rubber Bands Help Braces
While the archwire and brackets help the teeth move from side to side, dental bite issues often require moving the teeth forward and backward at different angles. To create this type of movement, the orthodontist employs rubber bands that hook onto the brackets and connect the two jaws. Rubber bands can pull the teeth into new positions to correct overbite, underbite, open bite, and crossbite problems.
How Long Do Braces Take to Correct Dental Bite Issues?
Correcting a patient's dental bite may take as many as two years, depending on its severity. Some patients see results in as little as six months.
Tips for Success With Rubber Band Treatment
Rubber bands create excellent results, but they make orthodontic treatment more complex. Children who need rubber bands with their braces will need extra parental supervision and assistance.
- Wear rubber bands precisely as prescribed. In some situations, taking the bands out when you are eating is okay, but your orthodontist may instruct you to keep them in all the time.
- Change the bands as required, sometimes as many as three to four times daily. Rubber bands lose their elasticity over time.
- Remove the rubber bands to brush and floss your teeth, but put in a fresh set immediately afterward.
- Provide children with guidance and ensure they are following their orthodontist's instructions. Changing the bands can be challenging, and you may need extra training from the doctor.
Experiencing Your New Dental Bite
After you or your child completes the rubber band treatment, you will have a beautifully aligned smile. You will no longer experience the discomfort, headaches, or tooth grinding that can occur with a poor bite.
Call Desert Orthodontics
If you or your child has dental bite issues, you may need to enhance your braces treatment. Braces are highly effective when correcting a dental bite, particularly when the orthodontist uses rubber bands. Call our Las Cruces, NM office at 575-521-0900 to learn how rubber bands can improve your orthodontic care.