What exactly do elastics do?

[diegorgeous]

What exactly do elastics do?? do they move your teeth or your jaw?? do they change the positioning of your gum & jaw??. Is that the only way your bite can be corrected??? Is it the elastics that cause your profile to change because they are pushing your jaw back when you do have extractions and your teeth are pushed back? or is it the teeth going back just from extractions that cause your profile to change in that same instance? i'm a bit confused.
i have a bimaxilliary protrusion. i would be getting 4 first premolars extracted and then pushing everything back. At what point should i expect to see a significant change in my profile. i was told at some point i would have to wear elastics? but i'm wondering when

[VA5]

Elastics accomplish many things. If you have bimax protrustion then elastics are most likely in your future. If you just got braced, then you need to be patient b/c it can be awhile for you to get them. Everybody's mouth is different though. Some people get them early, and then get off of them, and then get back on... there's never a set time although i think most will say it comes later in their treatment. Once you have your extractions, other things can help push back the teeth, including powerchains and metal coils. I would ask your ortho if you want a better idea for when.

[hanzie]

i got elastics early. they were removed after a month, and now i have them back again, there using them to pull my incisors back and bring my lower teeth out forward