What Is Orthodontic Full Mouth Banding?
Orthodontic full mouth banding is a process that is performed on all the teeth in the mouth. This may look the same as having braces, but orthodontic bands are not the same as braces. One major difference is that it is far more common for orthodontic bands to come loose.
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Orthodontic Bands
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An orthodontic band is literally a stainless steel band that is placed around the tooth. Orthodontic bands are used in the recovery process of a variety of orthodontic procedures. They usually anchor attachments to the tooth or attach an archwire to the molars. Orthodontic bands usually have hooks that can be used to attach rubber bands to the orthodontic band. Full mouth banding occurs when most to all of the molars in the mouth are banded.
Application
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Orthodontic bands are custom-fitted to the molar that they are attached to. Orthodontic bands are cemented to the tooth using a temporary cement designed specifically for use with orthodontic bands. In full mouth banding, the bands are connected by an archwire that fits into a small sleeve on the side of the band facing the cheek.
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Warning
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Orthodontic bands are not permanently attached to the tooth. As such, you should be careful to make sure that your bands do not come loose. Biting down hard on food, eating chewy candy and chewing things such as ice and pen lids can all lead to orthodontic bands coming lose. Because of the larger number of bands in the mouth in full mouth banding, there is a higher risk of a band coming loose for these reasons. A band may also come loose if the cementing used to attach the band to the tooth fails to take.
Loose Band
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If you have full mouth banding and a band comes loose, it is important to deal with it as quickly as possible. Try to take the band off the tooth with your fingers or with tweezers or try to get a friend to get the band off. In full mouth banding, an archwire usually connects all the bands. This may need to be cut to avoid it irritating the gums if a band comes loose and must be removed.
Considerations
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Your dentist will decide if you need to have full mouth banding or not. If a band comes loose, you should contact your dentist immediately and try to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
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References
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