St. Peters & Wentzville Braces
Trusted Treatment
The most recognizable type of treatment at Humphrey Orthodontics is our conventional metal braces. These orthodontic workhorses have a long history of successful treatment.
They’re great at correcting many oral issues for patients in St. Peters, Wentzville and the surrounding areas.
What Are Braces Made Of?
Brackets
The brackets are durable and made from a mix of stainless steel, nickel, and other metals.
Brackets have little hooks or doors where a wire is threaded. A bracket can be secured by closing the door or by placing an elastic over the top of the wire.
Wire
This thin piece of metal runs from one bracket to another. Dr. Humphrey will change the wire's shape and curvature to move your teeth in the right direction.
The wire will attach all of your bottom or upper teeth together in many cases. We might occasionally cut the wire if connecting just a few teeth is better for your treatment plan.
Glue
This is what Dr. Humphrey will use to attach the brackets to your teeth. It’s common to attach the bracket directly to the tooth with glue.
Elastics
If you need bite correction, elastics are essential. They’re generally strung between an upper bracket hook and a lower bracket hook. This will pull the upper jaw backward to correct an overbite, or the lower jaw back to correct an underbite.
We may use rubber bands for many different situations, especially when we want to put extra pressure on the teeth or jaws.
Orthodontic Bands
These are stainless steel rings that are cemented to your teeth using dental bonding agents. These bands can provide an anchor for your braces and orthodontic appliances, but they’re not used for everyone.
Spacers
These small elastic “donuts” or rings can be used to create space in between your teeth when needed, typically before bands are placed. They’re also referred to as separators.
Elastic Ties/O-Rings/Ligatures/Colors
These tiny rubber rings or bands are used to attach the archwire to the brackets. They’re less rigid than spacers and come in dozens of colors.
Go for the Gold
Your smile is one of the first things people notice about you. You shouldn’t have to give up showing it during your orthodontic treatment.
Humphrey Orthodontics offers gold braces so you can share your beautiful smile both during and after your treatment.
These gold-colored brackets are as durable as standard metal braces and as discreet as ceramic braces. The unique color helps them blend in with your smile without being prone to breakage like ceramic brackets.