Metal Mouth Message Board

I have ceramic braces on the top. My ortho gave me rubber bands (Japan) to wear. The assistant said that I should place it on the hooks of brackets but on the top I don't have any hooks. Should I put it around the whole bracket or only around part of it (there's this little indentation on the top where I think you can place them in) I wear them on the third tooth from the middle on the uppers and the seventh tooth from the middle on the lowers if that helps.

My ceramics were split on top which formed the hooks. Of course I didn't keep them long enough to try elastics. Oh well....

Mike

I'd call them and check. The elastics need to be properly placed, so it could be that your ortho will want to crimp hooks to your top archwire. Or maybe putting them round the bracket is OK, but it's best to check that out.

I got a little Kobayashi hook placed but the bracket didn't come with it's own little hook. I guess that really doesn't help you...

I have been wearing elastics with ceramic uppers and metal lowers for the last six months. On my ceramic brackets, the upper wings on the canine and first premolars are large and serve as hooks for my elastics. You should be able to hook the elastic over the top of the bracket and it will stay put. You should still probaly call your othro though - just to make sure. I'm pretty sure the configuration you're wearing is referred to as class II elastics. Supposed to pull the upper front teeth back.