Braces....?

today, i went to the orthodontist..and now they're making me wear rubber bands that are attached from the top to the bottom of my braces...what do these rubber bands do?





she never told me what they were for and that i only wear it once a day...

Braces....?
LOL Im wearing mine right now and i asked this same question, they really hurt =(
Reply:I'm also wearing mine right now. You get used to them. They help to move your teeth a lot more quickly. Wear them all the time, or you'll be wearing braces for basically an extra year. They seem uncomfortable, but it's worth it to wear them daily.
Reply:I have bands! I had this really bad over bite. Along with wearing my bands and headgear, my overbite is now fixed! I love not having an overbite. That is what the bands are designed to do. Move your mouth. You get used to them after a while.
Reply:my friend had to were bands and the they said i was for her spaces in her mouth.
Reply:If you have a over/under bite, that may have been the reason for them giving you the rubber-bands. Next time you go in for your routine check-up, ask them. It's your mouth.. You have a right to know =). I had an overbite, but instead of getting the rubberbands, I had a huge apparatus that had screws and all that, but I have friends that have those rubberbands on their braces... Hope this helps, at least a little





Painless wishes from me to you..
Reply:Rubber bands do different things depending on how they're worn, but in general, think of it like this: top braces align your top teeth, bottom braces align your bottom teeth...but to get your top and bottom teeth to fit TOGETHER, you have to apply some force between them, and that's what the rubber bands do. They can be used to close your bite, reduce an overbite, or just to help coordinate your top and bottom arches so that they line up well together.





Only wearing them once a day seems odd. I generally have my patients wear them 24/7, changing them each time they eat or brush so you aren't wearing any one rubber band so long that it wears out. I'd call your orthodontist's office to get clarification on how he/she wants them worn, and then stick to it! When you received your initial estimate for how long treatment would take (e.g. 18 or 24 months), the orthodontist was anticipating that you'd follow directions when it came to wearing your rubber bands. If you don't wear them as directed, you'll be in treatment longer. Hope that helps!
Reply:They pull your lower jaw forwards to fix an overbite.