Elastics (Rubber Bands)

The braces are used to align the teeth. To change the bite, we have to use things like rubber bands. These rubber bands, or elastics, attach to the braces in different ways, depending on how we want to change the bite.

Most of the time, you attach the rubber band from one of the top teeth to one of the bottom teeth. This pulls the teeth toward each other in the direction we need them to move. The picture below shows the most common way rubber bands are worn - to correct an overbite.