Wearing Your Rubber Bands

Rubber bands and braces, they go together like pie and ice cream.  Almost every orthodontic patient will wear rubber bands at some point in their treatment.  What do they do?  Wear them 24/7, Really?  I eat with them on?

Rubber bands are used to coordinate your bite in all three planes of space, align upper and lower midlines, and to help move certain teeth.

Your rubber bands are individually tailored to your teeth and bite needs. Dr Chapman prescribes the direction, size and type of rubber bands for each patient at a particular time in treatment. Your orthodontic technician will show how to put them on and how much to wear them, usually all the time. Wear them exactly as shown full time and you will be done with your braces in the least amount of time possible.

Full time? Yes, wear them all of the time. While sleeping, while at school, while eating, yes eating. Consistently, every day. We have found that if they are taken off to eat lunch they tend to go back on after dinner. Unfortunately, this will give you a net zero for the day as far as rubber band progress is concerned. If your teeth are not moving in the desired direction with the rubber bands, they are relaxing back to where they came from. Time is lost, treatment takes longer…..How long do you want to wear your braces?

The ChapmanSmiles Team is dedicated to your treatment taking the fewest number of appointments and the least amount of time. The number one reason orthodontic treatment runs long, is lack of consistent full time rubber band wear. Wearing your rubber bands properly will result in a great result in the shortest period of time.