Elastics

 

Ever wondered what your elastics or rubber bands are actually doing with your braces and orthodontic treatment? While brackets and archwires (the braces part) are responsible for moving the teeth along the gumline and the angle at which they point away from the gums, rubber bands are used to adjust the bite and jaw position. So, to simplify things, the braces do the straightening and the rubber bands help seat your upper and lower teeth together. 

How important is it to wear your rubber bands during your orthodontic treatment? Well, imagine having your teeth perfectly aligned all thanks to your braces, but then when you bite together your teeth dont quite fit. Wearing your rubber bands and the results associated with it are completely in YOUR control. 

What if you wear your rubber bands the recommended amount of time, then forget for a few weeks? The answer is, the correction that we are trying to achieve with your orthodontic treatment is going to take even longer. The good news is you can speed up your orthodontic treatment by starting your elastics and wearing them faithfully right from the very beginning! 

At the end of the day, the elastics,(aka. your job as the patient during braces) are the finishing touches to get to that perfect end result! Dr. Chu and The Chu Crew will work diligently to provide you with the beautiful smile you've dreamt of! But just remember it is just as important for you to do your part by wearing your elastics faithfully!