In this episode Dr Wesley discusses his experience with wearing his rubber bands (sometimes called elastics). He talks about the importance of rubber bands and why you must wear them full time. He even gives you his technique for placing his rubber bands that he coined “Dink N Flicka”. All of you who are fans of ‘The Office’ might appreciate this! 😉
Here are some of the highlights that you should consider:
- Your orthodontist knows if you’ve been wearing you rubber bands. The teeth that the rubber bands are being worn on will be loose and you will begin to see a space between that tooth and the tooth in front of it.
- Follow the instructions that YOUR orthodontist gives you. Everyone is different and you may need to wear elastics a different way and for different amount of times than your friend at school.
- Wearing rubber bands 12 hours a day is just as good as not wearing them at all. The 12 hours that you are wearing them are just getting the cellular activity that moves teeth started. There are tiny fibers that hold your teeth where they are. These will stretch and will pull your teeth back to their original position if the rubber bands are not consistent. Therefore, everything you gained in the first 12 hours of the day will be reversed in the second 12 hours of the day.
- Do NOT get discouraged! It takes practice but you will be able to do this without looking soon enough. Just practice and commit to it! The better you wear these, the better your treatment result will be.
- Try Dr Wesley’s Dink N Flicka technique! This works but it is not the only way. You may have an easier time placing the elastic on the back tooth and then stretching it forward. Find your way!
Please reach out any time if you need more rubber band coaching!