invisalign, suresmile, braces & more | orthodontists in green bay, de pere, and oconto falls, wi (wisconsin) | orthodontists kevin j. wilke, edward y. lin & lee bialkowski

Orthodontic Terms

Orthodontic Terms

Bracket

Brackets are metal or clear braces that are adhered to the front surface of the teeth.

Appliances

Anything the orthodontist attaches to your teeth to move your teeth or to change the shape of your jaw.

Archwire

Archwires are horseshoe shaped wires. They come in many different sizes. Each size creates different movements for the teeth.

Band

Bands are small metal rings that fit over the molars, like a ring fits on your finger. They are your back braces.

Elastic Power Chain

Power chains are used to close spaces between your teeth. Power chains are stretched over the brackets. Your choice of colors!

Headgear, Forsus

Headgear is an appliance worn for a limited amount of time to improve the occlusion between the upper and lower arches. This appliance can be removed and fits on the outside of the face and neck. Forsus is an active spring attached to the braces to improve the occlusion between the upper and lower arches. The forsus appliance cannot be removed by the patient.

Lip Bumper

A lip bumper is used to push the molars on your lower jaw back to create more space for other teeth. The lip bumper consists of an arch wire which is attached to a molded piece of plastic. You mount the arch wire in the buccal tubes on your lower jaw, and the plastic piece rests against your lips. When you eat or talk, you push the plastic piece back which in turn pushes your molars back.

Expander

Expanders can be removable or fixed. A small screw mechanism is periodically adjusted to create arch width.

Retainer

Retainers are removable or fixed appliances used to hold the teeth after braces. Some retainers are designed to move teeth slightly.

Separator

We use separators to create space between your teeth. Separators are small elastics placed in front of the molars in the same area dental floss is placed.

Invisalign®

Invisalign treatment straightens your teeth by wearing a series of clear, customized, removable appliances called aligners.

SureSmile®

SureSmile's technology-driven orthodontic process offers several important benefits that make the whole "braces experience" much easier and a lot faster for patients than conventional orthodontics!

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