M. Gabrielle Thodas, D.D.S., M.S.D.
Practice Limited To Orthodontics
150 Arch Street, Redwood City, CA 94062 650-368-8348

FINISHING

You are entering what we call the “finishing” phase of your orthodontic treatment. We have straightened your teeth, corrected your bite, improved your smile and corrected any skeletal problems. The purpose of all finishing procedures is to idealize and stabilize your bite and tooth position to get you ready for your retainers.

Everyone needs different procedures during their finishing process. If you have had power chain, we will stop the power chain to see if any space will re-open. If you have worn elastics, we will stop these to make sure the bite correction is stable. As we get closer and closer to the end of treatment we will start “taking things away”. That’s the phrase we use for any or all of the following procedures: zigzag elastics, removal of bands and segmentalizing arch wires among others. Please don’t get discouraged if we find that we have to go back to power chain or elastics because your teeth are not stable. It’s better to know this before your braces come off.

The appointment sequence leading up to THE DAY (when you get your braces off) is generally as follows:

• removal of bands to allow separator space to close
• wires only in some teeth (segmentalizing)
• zigzag elastics to help settling

• We hope this helps you understand the final stage of your orthodontic treatment. If you have any questions or problems before your next appointment, please call us at 368-8348.