A Trusted Treatment That’s Better Than Ever

The most common type of braces at Daniel & Jones Orthodontics are metal braces, and ours are less visible and more comfortable than ever.

These orthodontic workhorses have a long history of successfully straightening smiles at every age for patients all around Little Rock, Benton, and Bryant.

What Are Braces Made of?

Brackets

The brackets that Dr. Daniel, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Walker use 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.

Glue

This is what Dr. Daniel, Dr. Jones, or Dr. Walker will use to attach the brackets to your teeth. It’s common to attach the bracket directly to the tooth with glue.

Wire

This thin piece of metal runs from one bracket to another. Dr. Daniel, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Walker will change the wire's shape and curvature to gradually move your teeth in the right direction.

The wire will attach all of your bottom or upper teeth together in many cases. We’ll shorten the wire if connecting just a few teeth is better for your treatment plan.

Elastics

If you need bite correction, elastics are essential. They’re generally strung between an upper bracket hook and a lower bracket hook.

This pulls your upper jaw backward to correct an overbite, or the lower jaw back to correct an underbite. We use rubber bands for many different situations, especially when we want to put extra pressure on the teeth or jaws.

Orthodontic Bands

We cement these stainless steel rings to your teeth using dental bonding agents. These bands anchor your braces and orthodontic appliances, but we don’t always use them for everyone.

Spacers

If we need to create space between your teeth, we’ll use spacers. We use these small elastic “donuts” or rings before we place your bands to make sure that everything is in the right place.

You might also hear them called “separators”.

Elastic Ties/O-Rings/Ligatures/Colors

Dr. Daniel, Dr. Jones, and Dr. Walker will use these tiny rubber rings or bands to attach your archwire to the brackets. Elastics are less rigid than spacers and you can get them in dozens of colors.

Virtual Orthodontist Little Rock

Show Off an Iconix Smile

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.

Daniel & Jones Orthodontics offers stylish, low-profile Iconix brackets so you can share your beautiful smile both during and after your treatment.

These brackets can be gold, silver, or champagne, and combine the durability of standard metal braces with the discretion of ceramic braces. The unique color helps them blend in with your smile without being prone to breakage like ceramic brackets.

Metal Braces FAQ