Elastic Wearing Instructions

• If orthodontic treatment is to be successful, it is important that you wear elastics as directed. At various stages through out treatment, the types, sizes and frequency of elastic wearing may change. It is important that you do not leave the office until you are certain of how and what size elastics you are to wear.
   
• The elastics are what create the force in order to move the teeth. The archwires merely guide the teeth, and failure to wear the elastics will mean that the teeth will not be moving in their proper direction and also not as fast as they should. Thus your time in braces will be longer.
   
• Elastics must be worn 24 hours a day. (This includes eating and sleeping) Exceptions are: - when brushing teeth
  • wearing a mouth guard for sports
     
• Elastics are to be changed only one time a day unless one breaks then it should be replaced immediately.
   
• Do not change your elastics more than instructed since frequent changing of elastics or doubling up on elastics will put too much force on your teeth hindering their movement. It is normal for your teeth to be sore for a few days when starting elastics. However if you choose to not wear the elastics consistently your teeth will not move and you will continue to feel pain.
   
• For every day you skip wearing elastics you will lose 3 days of treatment. For example, two days of skipping equals 1 week of lost treatment, meaning you will be in braces longer.
   
• You should always carry extra elastics with you.
   
• If you need more elastics you can stop in or call us and we can mail them to you.