During various phases of treatment, small elastics or rubber bands are used as a gentle but continuous force to help individual tooth movement or the aligning of one arch to the other.
TEETH HAVE NEVER FAILED TO MOVE WHEN
ELASTICS ARE WORN CONSISTENTLY AS DIRECTED
But – when they are worn one day and left off the next, your treatment slows to a standstill or stops.
Why? Because the tooth “jiggles” back and forth and actually sets up a resistance that virtually prevents normal movement.
Follow instructions EXACTLY, and you will get better, faster, more comfortable results.
Usually, after about two days, any discomfort from the elastics disappears. But if you leave them off “to let my teeth feel better,” you have done exactly the wrong thing! Stay with them.
In most, though not all, orthodontic treatment, the rubber bands are used toward the end of the treatment. If we assign them to you, take heart – they are speeding up the day you get your braces off!
