Metal Mouth Message Board

Hi All

Got ceramic braces today and have noticed that on some teeth the wire is not fully engaged in the slot on the bracket. They used clear ligatures and not that thin wire they sometimes use for ligs but which would have forced the bracket fully on the wire. Is it Okay? Will the ligatures pull the teeth to the wire or was a too stiff wire used?

Thanks

my teeth were so crooked when i first had my braces put on that 2 of the teeth only had half the bracket 'tied down' I thought they had put it on wrong but the bend was too sharp I guess as now it's all nice and straight and wire sits nicely in.

This is going to depend on the type of wire used and the movement desired.

Often times, a loose steel tie is not as useful as an elastic ligature, since the elastic can do some pulling of the wire into the bracket slot. Generally, a tight steel tie is better, takes longer to put on, but also cannot always be placed.

There may be other reasons why the bracket was not fully engaged. Speak to your orthodontist to figure out if there are any issues.

I just noticed this was going on with one of my bottom brackets. The wired is in on part of the bracket but not the other part. But I had a huge bend in the wire at the beginning of treatment and now its straight so hopefully at my adjustment they can get the wire in properly this time.