Still confused as to how they work.

[Ziggy]

In order for the wire to twist the bracket, is each bracket designed with a different twist in it and mounted straight, or is the bracket placed at a different angle on each tooth to move the teeth?

Thanks

[EWUgal15]

How brackets are placed really depends on your treatment plan...but I think the part that is confusing you is not so much in the bracket but in the wire. Arch wires are made and designed in such a way that they naturally want to retain their shape. So when your wire is put into your brackets, it gets bent out of shape. As the wire is trying to return to its natural shape, it's pulling the teeth and the bracket along with it. Does that help (or make sense)?

When you get your braces put on, take a picture of your mouth and really pay attention to what the wire looks like...then after a few weeks or at your adjustment, take another picture and compare them side by side. You should see areas of the wire that are bent in your first picture straightened out in the second one.

[NeilH]

And just to add to that excellent answer, some wires are round in profile and others rectangular. These rectangular wires fully engage the slot on the bracket which is at different angles depending on which teeth they are attached to and what your ortho wants to achieve. The brackets are generally placed straight on the teeth (even though they don't always look like they are due to uneven wear) and as your teeth straighten out, additional small bends can be placed in the wire to achieve specific tiny movements that would otherwise require a bracket to be repositioned. And then there are elastics....

[Ziggy]

Not as confused as I was. I'm gonna have them explain what's going on during the entire process, which is Tuesday. Nervous but looking forward to a new adventure.

[NeilH]

Not as confused as I was. I'm gonna have them explain what's going on during the entire process, which is Tuesday. Nervous but looking forward to a new adventure.

Good luck for Tuesday. I had my ortho explain everything as he went along and I held a mirror so that I could see what they were doing too! It doesn't take long and once they start, there's a blur of moving hands as nurses hand tools to the orthodontist and one by one the brackets are positioned in place.

[bracesagainno]

[quote="NeilH"]And just to add to that excellent answer, some wires are round in profile and others rectangular. These rectangular wires fully engage the slot on the bracket which is at different angles depending on which teeth they are attached to and what your ortho wants to achieve. The brackets are generally placed straight on the teeth (even though they don't always look like they are due to uneven wear) and as your teeth straighten out, additional small bends can be placed in the wire to achieve specific tiny movements that would otherwise require a bracket to be repositioned. And then there are elastics....[/quote]