Elastics (Rubber Bands) In Orthodontic Treatment

Orthodontic treatment in Cape Coral doesn’t just correct the position of your teeth. The process helps improve your bite, fully transform your smile, and help you speak clearly and chew your food with ease. In some cases, it’s necessary to use elastics or rubber bands to improve the effectiveness of your metal braces and achieve all those goals.

How Elastics in Orthodontics Work

Elastics attach to hooks or brackets on traditional metal braces to help align your teeth and correct your bite. The desired goal determines where the bands will go. Correcting an overbite, for example, involves placing the elastics so they pull the upper jaw backward to better align with the lower jaw.

No matter where they’re attached, the bands apply continuous pressure in the desired direction, amplifying the effectiveness of your braces. As that happens, the rubber bands stretch out, resulting in the need to replace them. Depending on your exact treatment, you may need to replace the bands several times daily.

Whether or not you’ll need elastics and how long you’ll need to wear them depends on your orthodontic needs. You may benefit from using them for a few weeks or need to keep wearing them for several months.

What to Expect When Using Elastics

For elastics to work as intended, you typically need to wear them for 24 hours a day every day. You’ll only remove them to brush and floss your teeth or when it comes time to put on a new set.

The only exception is if you play sports where you need to wear a mouthguard. The elastics can come out during practice and games, so you can wear a protective mouthguard while you play. Just remember to replace them with new ones after your game.

Since you must eat while wearing the elastics, you may have a little learning curve to get past in the early days. Soon enough, you will learn how to work around them, though. If you need help getting used to your elastics, ask your orthodontist for tips and tricks.

Call to Book Your Orthodontics Appointment

If you would like to learn more about straightening your teeth with braces, book a visit with your orthodontist at Richards & Associates Orthodontics. To reach our Fort Myers clinic, call 239-936-1808, or if Cape Coral is closer, contact our team by dialing 239-458-2002.