ABC Dental Education | By Dr Lydia Yong

Braces is a fairly common dental treatment in Singapore, so most of us know what braces look like. But have you ever wondered what role each braces component plays? Read on to find out more about the different parts of braces, and their roles in straightening your teeth:

There are the 3 main components of braces: 

1. Bracket, and Molar tube or bands

2. Archwire

3. Ligature

1. Bracket, and Molar Tube/ Bands

These are the small pieces that are glued to the middle of each tooth using dental adhesive. Their main purpose is to hold the archwire to the teeth. They are designed with a slot in the middle, and this is where the wire resides. Brackets are usually placed on the incisors, canines and premolars, and can be metal or ceramic. The tubes are placed on the molars. An alternative to a molar tube is a metal band that wraps around the molar. Metal brackets, tubes and bands are made of stainless steel. 

2. Archwire

This is the metal wire that connects all of the brackets and molar tubes together. One archwire runs along the upper teeth and another one runs along the lower teeth. The function of the wire is to apply gentle pressure on the teeth to move them in the right direction. There are 2 main types of braces wires - Nickel Titanium (NiTi) and Stainless Steel (SS) wires. NiTi wires are superelastic and flexible - they return to the preformed arch-shape when bent. SS wires are stiff and formable. This means that bends to the SS wires can be made when your orthodontist wants to make specific adjustments to straighten your teeth.

3. Ligature

These are the multi-coloured rubber bands or thin wires that tie and secure the archwire to the brackets on each tooth. The advanced, second-generation type of self-ligating braces do not need these ligature ties. Self-ligating brackets are designed with a self-locking gate to trap the archwire. Read more about our self-ligating Damon braces here.