What Are Orthodontic Elastics?
Orthodontic elastics, also often referred to by patients as rubber bands, are small, stretchy loops that attach to hooks on your brackets or aligners, applying targeted forces to your jaw in ways that correct your bite.
Orthodontics isn’t just about straight teeth, it’s about bringing your teeth, jaws, and bite into harmonious alignment. And using elastic bands on braces can be a critical component of that process when a patient needs them.
It’s also worth noting that orthodontic elastics aren’t to be confused with elastic ligatures. Ligatures are the small bands that loop around each individual bracket and hold the archwire in place. Meanwhile, orthodontic elastics hook onto your upper and lower braces, stretching between the two.
What Are Elastics for on Braces?
So the question you’re probably wondering is what do elastics do for braces, exactly?
In short, they provide a way to correct a misaligned bite.
While the bracket and wire system of braces is great at aligning teeth, and can address some minor bite issues, there are more significant bite misalignments that braces alone can’t fix.
That’s where orthodontic elastic bands come in.
Unlike wires and brackets, which only apply force to teeth within a single arch, elastics hook between the upper and lower arches, applying forces across both jaws simultaneously.
An orthodontist can both position the elastics in specific ways and use bands with different strength ratings in order to apply the necessary forces to correct a wide range of bite misalignments.
Some examples include the following:
Overbites: This is where your upper teeth overlap your lower teeth too much.
Underbites: The opposite of an overbite, where instead, your lower teeth sit in front of your upper teeth.
Crossbites: This is where your upper and lower teeth don’t line up properly and things can happen like your back molars of your upper teeth sitting inside of the back molars of your lower teeth.
Midline Shifts: This is where the centers of your upper and lower teeth don’t align.
A simple way of looking at this relationship between braces and elastics is braces move your teeth, while elastic rubber for braces move your bite into alignment. When needed, orthodontic elastics are an important part of giving you a smile that’s not only beautiful, but functional as well.
So, if you’ve been searching things like what do elastics do for braces or what are elastic bands on braces for, now you have your answer! Now let’s get into the types of elastic bands.
Types of Elastic Bands for Braces: Class 1, 2, and 3
There are different types of elastic bands for braces and the class system is a way of categorizing them based on what they can correct.
Class 1 elastics are the least common elastics and unlike Class 2 and 3, don’t actually run between arches. Instead, they run horizontally along a single arch and are often used for things like closing a gap or repositioning a specific tooth.
Class 2 elastics in orthodontics on the other hand stretch between the upper and lower arch where the rubber band hooks onto the upper canine or first premolar and then runs diagonally down to the lower molar. This applies a force that gradually brings the upper teeth back and the lower teeth forward, which corrects an overbite.
Class 3 elastics orthodontics work in the opposite way, where the bands hook onto the lower canine or first premolar and then run diagonally up to the upper molar. This configuration creates forces that gradually move the upper teeth forward and the lower teeth back, which helps address an underbite.
The bands come in different sizes and force levels, and your orthodontist will determine which bands are best for your individual case. Everything in your treatment plan is carefully designed, with every decision from the strength of your bands to the positioning of them, being carefully considered to deliver you the best and most efficient results.
What Brand of Orthodontic Elastics is Best?
You may have arrived here, because you searched for something like orthodontic elastics best brand, but the reality is you don’t need to worry about figuring out which bands to use, because your orthodontist will do that for you. Elastics come in different sizes and force levels, and the right combination will be dependent on your specific treatment plan. What matters isn’t the brand, but that you wear them as prescribed.
Tips for Wearing Your Elastics
Elastics only work if you wear them and you wear them correctly. Unlike braces where they’re attached to your teeth and you don’t have to worry about doing anything other than keeping them clean, with elastics your active involvement in the process is key.
Here’s how to make sure your treatment is both effective and efficient:
- Wear your elastics consistently: Most orthodontists recommend wearing them 20-22 hours per day.
- Swap them 3 to 4 times every day: Elastics lose a lot of their force after a few hours, so swapping them out throughout the day is really important. Your orthodontist will let you know how often, but typically you should change them after every meal and before you go to bed.
- Keep extras handy: Put some bands in your bag, your car, your desk, etc. Just common places for easy access when you need.
- Don’t double up: Some people might be tempted to wear two bands at once thinking it can quicken the process, but it’s important to never do this. Your bands are carefully chosen to apply the perfect amount of force to make your treatment as efficient as possible. Doubling up can cause serious damage to your tooth roots and can actually slow treatment.
- Hook them correctly:
Make sure you’re hooking your elastics to the correct teeth to avoid moving things in the wrong direction. If you have any questions or are unclear about which teeth you should be attaching the bands to, ask your orthodontist.
Being sore in the first few days of getting your elastics is completely normal and is a sign that treatment is working. With time and consistent wear that soreness will fade.
Do Invisalign Patients Wear Elastics Too?
At this point we’ve covered how orthodontic elastics pair with braces to align your bite, but now you may be wondering what do orthodontic elastics do when it comes to Invisalign? Do they work with Invisalign as well?
Short answer: yes. With Invisalign the elastic bands just attach to small tooth colored buttons bonded to the teeth or to precise cuts made in the aligner trays. Different setup than braces, but the same purpose: getting your bite into alignment so you can have a healthy and functional smile at the end of treatment.
At Pierson & Saunders, we’re a Blue Diamond Invisalign provider, so we are well equipped to answer any questions you may have regarding Invisalign and the role that elastics may play.
Conclusion
Whether you call them orthodontic elastics or rubber bands for braces, their purpose remains the same: making sure your bite is properly aligned so you have a truly healthy and functional smile.
If you have any questions about elastics or are in San Antonio and are wondering what orthodontic treatment might look like for you or your child, schedule a free consultation with our team here at Pierson & Saunders. We’ll make sure your smile gets the attention it deserves.
