Elastics

Elastics are worn with braces or an appliance to help close space and/or correct your bite.  The elastics must be worn as instructed; usually 24 hours a day unless instructed otherwise. They should be taken out when you brush your teeth.

Please change your elastics several times a day.  You may be sore for the first few days but Tylenol or Ibuprofen usually help with this.

Remember, the less you wear them the longer you will be in braces! So, wearing your elastics is super important if you want to get your braces off sooner!

As always, if you are unsure about how to wear your elastics or if you have lost or misplaced them please call us. We have a record of what kind you should be wearing in your chart.  We will be happy to mail you replacements or you can stop by the office to pick them up.

These elastics are worn from a hook on your lower first molar to a loop on your upper arch wire or to a hook on a bracket near the upper front teeth.  This direction of elastics is used when we are trying to close space or correct your overbite.

These elastics are worn from the hook on your upper first molar to a loop on your lower arch wire or to a post on a bracket near the lower front teeth.  This direction of elastics is used when we are trying to close space or correct your reduce your underbite.

Triangle, upside down triangle, and box elastics are used to help your upper and lower teeth fit together correctly.  You will attach them to the small hooks that are on your brackets.