I know the poor folks think I am an idiot. They talk so fast and I guess since they explain it so much they think it makes sense. I just took my daughter today for spacers. She goes back in 1 week to get bands. Then she goes back in 1 week for what we think is braces. When they told me she would wear bands for 6 months I assumed that was before braces. I have been reading and trying to figure out what is going on. I hate bugging the ortho. Are bands something worn with braces on? Can someone PLEASE explain this in more depth to me?

Mcr I recommend you go to the Newbies Section ... above the metal mouth forum and spend some time reading the articles our webmaster has put in there. There are pics of the most common things associated with ortho treatment, about how teeth move, soft foods etc.

Many ortho's still use bands on the back molars. Some like to put these on ahead of the brackets. I'm not totally sure why, but I suspect it's a comfort issue and maybe helps the gums to settle before the brackets go on.

The band works to hold the archwire and a few other appliances if they're needed. It will also have a hook to anchor elastics and/or powerchains, if they're needed.

Encourage your daughter to rinse once daily with warm salt water ... it's great for the health of the mouth and makes it feel loads better if a little sore.

Good luck to your daughter!

Thanks so much. I found a load of info after going back and reading everything. I called my self doing a good job of that in the beginning. Things make so much more sense to me now.

Don't forget you are responsible for supervising your child in her braces, so for best results they should make sure you understand everything about the treatment. By that I mean don't feel you are a nuisance by asking questions, you need to know so you can take the best care you can and get great results. I am sure they don't see it as a nuisance- they want her to do well too. If you don't ask, they won't know you don't understand.

So ask away! Our ortho has an office manager for just that- she calls to check on us and she is there to take calls and answer all questions. All the technicians are great, too.