Molar bands vs back brackets

Message

#1 Post by **weird_wired** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:28 pm

Could someone explain why/when molar bands are used? Because I have just a (metal) bracket on my back teeth, no bands. They weren't even mentioned.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

#2 Post by **Lexy** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:43 pm

I have 4 molar bands on my top teeth. My ortho told me he was putting them on just in case I needed a class II (I think!) appliance installed to correct my overbite, in the event elastics didn't fix it.

#3 Post by **Nikkiekoala** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 1:55 pm

I have molar bands on all my molars and a premolar (I think that is what that tooth is called) because I have all crowns on my molars. Brackets wont stick on crowns or fillings. A bracket was used on my premolar but it came off at my first adjustment. Not everyone require bands. If you have a crown or filling along where a bracket would be adhered to than most certainly a band would be used (in most cases) but bands are used for other reasons like Lexy mentioned the 'just in case' factor.
Consider yourself lucky, you have avoided the whole spacer nightmare and band adjustment issues.

#4 Post by **tictac** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:08 pm

My ortho says she usually only puts molar bands on teenagers and kids, but I forgot why. I think it had something to do with teenagers and kids eating the wrong things and knocking the brackets off. I'm just grateful I was spared that whole ordeal so I don't really ask.

#5 Post by **weird_wired** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 2:51 pm

Nikkiekoala wrote:Consider yourself lucky, you have avoided the whole spacer nightmare and band adjustment issues.

Ah - are bands linked to spacers? Because that's something else I haven't had, and I couldn't quite understand when/why they are used either.

Thanks for the explanations, and yes as you guessed I don't have crowns on the ones where the back-brackets are.

#6 Post by **Gel** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 3:10 pm

I have bands on my first molar, I don't know why,that's just what they did. They use the spacers to create a gap so that the bands will be bale to fit into that tight space.

#7 Post by **hannah164** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 5:13 pm

I have bands on all four of my back teeth. My ortho does it to everyone, I assume its just for better anchorage for the wires and other things. I'm honestly not sure.

They're not that bad though, they are just rings around your back teeth. The only bad thing about them is that you usually need spacers for them. I didn't for the bottom because of my extraction gaps!

-Hannah

Top braces: 4/28/04
Bottom braces: 11/16/05

#8 Post by **nvcarissa** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 5:15 pm

I think they originally thought I would have bands on my molars, but when I went in to get the spacers they said I wouldn't need them. I think it's because I am going to have surgery...or at least, that's kind of what I recall them saying. They said I was 1 in 500 that didn't need bands.

#9 Post by **drazda** » Wed Nov 30, 2005 5:19 pm

I don't have the bands, but my dentist said he might put them on later. In less than two weeks of having my braces, I knocked out a back bracket. I still hope I won't have to wear the bands.

#10 Post by **weird_wired** » Thu Dec 01, 2005 12:06 am

This is really interesting. I think I might ask the docs as well what their criteria are.