Brackets and wires line the teeth up within each jaw. Elastics do a different job: they work between the upper and lower teeth to change how the two arches meet. That is why they tend to appear partway through treatment, and why the hours you wear them have such a direct effect on how long the braces stay on.
Straight teeth and a good bite are two separate goals
A wire running through the brackets can level and align the teeth in the upper arch, and another can do the same in the lower arch. What neither wire can do on its own is pull the whole upper set back or the lower set forward relative to each other. An elastic hooked between a bracket on the top and a bracket on the bottom creates that pull.
The result, when it works well, is teeth that not only look straight but fit together evenly when you bite and chew. Our overview of what to expect with braces explains where this stage sits in the overall plan.
The direction of the band tells you what it is correcting
Upper front to lower back
When a band runs from a hook near the upper canine down and back to a hook near a lower molar, it is usually a Class II elastic. It draws the upper teeth backwards and the lower teeth forwards, and is used where the upper teeth sit too far ahead of the lower teeth.
Lower front to upper back
The reverse direction, from the lower canine region up to an upper molar, is a Class III elastic. It is used where the lower teeth sit ahead of the upper teeth, as in an underbite. Our article on overbites, underbites and crossbites describes these bite types in more detail.
Up and down, or across
Some bands run vertically to help the back teeth settle into firm contact near the end of treatment. Others cross from the inside of an upper tooth to the outside of a lower tooth to correct a crossbite. These are different from power chains, which link brackets within one arch to close gaps. The pattern you are given can change from visit to visit as the bite improves.
A band only works while it is stretched
Teeth move in response to light force that is present most of the time. Take the force away for long stretches each day and the teeth and surrounding bone have time to drift back, so part of each day's progress is lost. For that reason, elastics are usually prescribed close to full time, coming out only to eat and to clean the teeth. Some patterns are prescribed for night wear only, so follow the instructions you are given.
Wearing them part time is a recognised reason treatment runs longer than first planned. The difference is hard to see from one week to the next, which makes it easy to underestimate.
Latex and synthetic elastics also lose tension through the day, especially in the warm, wet environment of the mouth. Most people are asked to replace them several times a day, often after each meal, so the pull stays roughly even. Non-latex elastics are available for anyone with a latex allergy; let your dentist know before you start.
Habits that make full-time wear realistic
- Keep a packet of elastics in your bag, your car, your desk and beside the bathroom sink.
- Put fresh bands in straight after brushing following each meal, so changing them becomes part of one routine.
- If a band snaps, replace it as soon as you can rather than waiting until the next meal.
- If you miss a day, simply go back to the usual pattern. Wearing two bands on one hook, or a heavier band, adds soreness without speeding anything up.
- Bring your remaining elastics to each appointment so the size and pattern can be checked.
The first few days are the tender ones
Teeth often ache for two or three days after starting elastics or changing to a new pattern. Softer food and the pain relief you normally use for a headache are usually enough. The ache tends to ease as the teeth get used to the force, and it comes back mildly each time the pattern changes.
Hooking the bands on is fiddly at first. Most people find it easier in front of a mirror for the first week, and some practices supply a small plastic hook tool. Sharp or one-sided pain that does not settle, a hook that has broken off, or a band that keeps cutting into the gum are worth a call to the practice.
Growth helps a little, but teeth do most of the moving
In teenagers who are still growing, elastics can work alongside jaw growth, and some bite problems are easier to correct at that stage. Research suggests that most of the change from elastics is still tooth movement, with only a modest effect on the jaws themselves. In adults, whose jaw growth has finished, the correction comes from moving teeth within the bone. Larger jaw differences in adults may need other approaches, which is why the plan is worked out at the start. Our article on the first orthodontic check around age seven explains why early assessment can be useful.
Questions about wearing elastics
Can I eat with elastics in?
Take them out to eat, brush, and put fresh ones in afterwards. Chewing with them on stretches them out and can snap them.
One of my hooks has come off. Should I keep wearing the band?
Not on that tooth. Call the practice so the bracket or hook can be repaired, and ask whether to keep wearing the other side in the meantime.
Do aligner patients use elastics too?
Yes, some clear aligner plans use elastics hooked onto small buttons or cut-outs in the aligners, for the same bite correction purpose.
If you are thinking about braces or aligners and want to know if your bite needs this kind of correction, the team at Lumi Dental can assess it and explain the options. See our current offers or read about our general dentistry in Melrose Park.
