Elastics are very important to the progress of your treatment. They provide the force or “pull” needed to move your teeth into a proper alignment to achieve a good bite. Before you leave the office, make sure that you understand where to place your elastics. You may need to use a mirror at first, but you will soon be able to change them without a mirror and with very little effort.
Changing Teeth Position With Elastics
For elastics to be effective, they must be worn as close to 24 hours per day as possible,every day. Constant wear of your elastics is essential. If you forget to wear them for one day,the progress that you achieved for the last two days may be lost. NIGHT TIME ELASTIC WEAR ALONE WILL NOT MOVE YOUR TEETH. You should take your elastics off only to eat and to brush your teeth. When you remove them, put them on your little finger, this is so you remember to put them back on. Some patients choose to eat with their elastics on and are rewarded with getting their braces off sooner.
For the first few days of using the elastics your teeth will probably be sore. This is normal. As soon as the teeth get used to the new pressure, the soreness will disappear. A pain reliever such as Tylenol might be helpful. As long as you continue to wear your elastics, the teeth will not be sore again. However, if you take a long break from the elastics, you may need to go through the one to two days of soreness again.
Make sure you have enough elastics before you leave the office – take as many packs as you need. If you run out or lose them, come in and pick some up or call our office and we will mail some to you.
If you follow the basic instructions that we have given you and wear your elastics all day and all night, your treatment will progress as planned and you will be on your way to a beautiful, healthy smile!