Metal Mouth Message Board

Curious why they use those instead. When I was first braced about 8 weeks ago I had regular ligatures. 2 weeks later I went in to have my back bottom molar bands put in cause they still didn't have enough room when I was braced, (so I had spacers and braces for 2 weeks) At that appointment (very painful I might add) they took off my existing arch wires, reattached them and gave me wire ties instead of the regular ligatures except on a few teeth.

The first real adjustment, about a week ago, the assistant did wire ties as well on the upper saying that she could see I needed it. Lower were still so sensitive that she didn't change the wire. With my mouth pried open it's hard to ask questions, but I'm curious about the reason they would use those instead of the regular elastic ligatures.

I should add that I am impressed by how much my teeth have moved in such a short time. I don't know what's normal, and I've never had braces before but I'm amazed. (pict attached)

[img]http://www.pbase.com/n_p_photo/image/107250771.jpg[/ img]

Wow, it looks like you've had a lot of movement. Great progress!

I had a similar experience with wire ties. After a few weeks in braces, my ortho put wire ties on a couple of my teeth. The technician said, "I can engage these teeth more."

I think it's because the wire ties are not flexible, so they make your teeth stay very close to the wire instead of the ligatures, which might stretch a little and allow your teeth to hang back a bit instead of getting in line.

I cant see your pics. I would really love to see it as I want to see what the wire ties look like compared to ligs as my ortho has offered to put wire ties on at my first adjustment to avoid staining issues, so I want to see what they are like. Have u got another link I can go to...

Sorry, I was moving things around. Also, was trying to get the picture to show up in the post. Here is a second attempt. And I really like the metal ties.

I also want to add that as of this morning, at the ripe age of 47, for the first time in my adult life my two front teeth don't overlap! This is so exciting!

During my treatment, the ortho used wire ties when they wanted to keep the archwire 'extra tight' against the brackets. The regular o-rings tend to stretch between adjustments.

SecondTimer wrote:During my treatment, the ortho used wire ties when they wanted to keep the archwire 'extra tight' against the brackets. The regular o-rings tend to stretch between adjustments.

This is exactly what my ortho said. I had several rotated teeth and the wire ties were more likely to get them to turn better as they would not stretch out....but my teeth are stubborn and it didnt work as well as they thought!!! Depending on which assistant I had some, would put the wire tie on then a lig on top of it....others would just leave it as the wire tie only

In my case, my ortho uses a wire tie when a lig either won't stay on the bracket or if there is a chance the lig will pop off. I had several teeth that were badly rotated so wire ties were used to make sure the wire was engaged in the bracket. Even though my teeth are now basically straight, a couple of my clear brackets still don't like to accept ligs so I tend to have wire ties on those. Personally I really like the wire ties. They have a nice clean look on clear brackets and the fact they do not stain at all is a really nice bonus.

ok that is an old topic but i still have the question.
i have wire ties from the beginning of my treatment. i am very curious about the reason my ortho only uses wire ties on my teeth.
i asked him and he told me that he prefers them because a. they don't stain (i also like the look) and b. he prefers them because he thinks they are better for my case (he didn't give more details, and I trust him)


if the wire ties do a better job holding the teeth close to the archwire why don't they always prefer them? because in most cases I see that are used the usual ligatures.

i told it to my boyfriend and he told me that maybe they are cheaper, but I don't think that is the case because I am sure it takes more time to put the steel ties that the elastic and for orthos time=money.
i have to say i hate the adjustments, I am convinces that the adjustment with steel ties is much worst, even if I don't have a different experience. also when he takes out the archwire i have a very weird feeling, like my teeth are about to fall, every time i am looking forward to have back my arcwire.
sorry for the stupid question

Not a stupid question! I also have mostly steel ties, and have since the beginning of my treatment 8 months ago. I am sure they are more expensive than rubbery ligatures both in terms of materials (though this is minimal) and labor (a significant difference, and presumably the main reason they aren't used all the time). My ortho has used steel ties on teeth that need rotating, and, lately, on teeth with and adjacent to bends he's placed in the archwire. In addition to providing greater ligating force, though, I think the bigger deal is that they can provide asymmetrical ligating force.

I agree with your and your ortho's assessment of the advantages of steel ties, and I'm happy to have them for as long as my ortho thinks I need them. To the orthodontist, the big disadvantage is obviously cost. The techs hate doing them, and some of the techs are just not very good at putting them on without hurting me a lot. I also suspect that orthos like colored ligs because they can be a big compliance motivator for kids and teens. The disadvantages to me as a patient, besides the uncomfortable installation, are that they shred your floss, and they're a little less comfortable to my cheeks and lips; the rubbery ligs seem to cushion the edges of the brackets some.

According to my ortho, he prefers the wire ties for adults as they don't stain. Red wine, coffee, soda, curry, mustard...all of these can stain any of the bands, but the wire ties are white and unstainable. I personally love that. I had marinara sauce on pasta this weekend, and it was heaven not to have bright, blood-red circles on my teeth afterwards. Love it! I just have to make sure my floss doesn't get caught on the ends of the wires. Haven't had any issues yet.

I got wire ties on 6 of 8 brackets at my first adjustment in January. The ortho said she was using them on teeth that needed rotation and that the ties would hold the brackets to the wire better than the ligs would. At adjustment #2 two days ago, all the wire ties came off but the ortho repositioned brackets on my lower laterals for more rotation. The wire ties didn't hurt, but I did feel a bit more pressure on my teeth for those couple of weeks. The repositioned brackets, though, gave me the punched-in-the-mouth feeling for about a day.