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The Purpose Of Rubber Bands With Braces

The Purpose Of Rubber Bands With Braces
Posted on 08/24/2017
Colorful rubber bands

At the office of Dr. Lauren Cai, we're proud to provide high-quality braces treatment to patients throughout the Longview and Vancouver, WA areas. But as many of our patients know, treatment with braces often includes more than just the metal brackets and wires that braces are known for. In many cases, we'll also opt to use orthodontic elastics: small rubber bands placed on the braces to connect different brackets. So what do these elastics do, anyways?


Achieving Changes in Jaw Alignment Through Elastics

Metal braces are a highly effective treatment option for altering the alignment of the teeth: they can gradually, painlessly shift teeth that are sitting incorrectly in the dental arch to a better position. Over time, they bring the teeth in line to form a straight, healthy beautiful smile. But because the archwire only pulls and pushes the teeth themselves, braces can only affect alignment of the teeth: they can't do anything about the jaws.

That's where elastics come in. Because we can stretch elastics between brackets on the upper and lower jaws, we can use them to apply pressure to the jaws themselves. This pressure shifts the alignment of the jaws, helping to correct common bite problems like overbite, underbite, crossbite, or any issue with the relationship of the upper and lower jaw. Over the full course of your treatment, we can use elastics to bring the jaws into line, creating a beautiful, healthy new smile and a healthier jaw alignment!


Contact Your Family Orthodontist in Vancouver & Longview, WA

Orthodontic elastics are a highly effective tool in correcting jaw alignment problems, and they're an important part of our orthodontic toolkit. If you have more questions about how elastics and braces work or would like to start on braces treatment for yourself, we would love to hear from you! Feel free to reach out to us at our contact page to schedule an appointment at our Longview or Vancouver office. We look forward to helping you achieve the smile of your dreams!

Dr. Lauren Cai

  • Longview Office - 870 12th Ave., Longview, WA 98632 Phone: 360-425-8210 Fax: 360-577-1605
  • Vancouver Office - 15593 S.E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver, WA 98684 Phone: 360-882-5090 Fax: 360-882-5121

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