Name: Surrey, British Columbia
Address: Surrey, BC, CA

Aligner: A removable clear plastic tray that moves teeth a small amount; worn in a series, 20-plus hours a day.
Anchorage: What the orthodontist pushes against to move a tooth: other teeth, the palate, or a temporary screw (TAD).
Archwire: The wire running through the brackets that carries the force. Thin and flexible early in treatment, thicker and stiffer later.
Attachment: A small tooth-coloured composite bump bonded to a tooth so an aligner can grip it. Guide.
Band: A metal ring cemented around a back molar, used instead of a bracket on some teeth.
Bite ramp: A small ledge on an aligner or a bump on a back tooth that holds the bite open so front teeth can move past each other.
Bonded retainer: A thin wire glued behind the front teeth to hold them after treatment. Guide.
Bracket: The small metal or ceramic attachment glued to each tooth that holds the archwire.
Cephalometric radiograph: A side-view skull X-ray used to measure jaw and tooth positions when planning treatment.
Chewie: A small foam cylinder chewed for a few minutes to seat a new aligner fully.
Class I, II, III: How the upper and lower back teeth meet. Class I is the usual relationship; Class II, the upper teeth are ahead; Class III, the lower teeth are ahead.
Crossbite: An upper tooth or teeth biting inside the lower teeth. Guide.
Crowding: Not enough room in the arch for the teeth, so they overlap or rotate. Guide.
Debond: The appointment when braces are removed. Guide.
Decalcification: Loss of mineral from enamel under plaque, seen as permanent white marks. Prevention.
Deep bite: Upper front teeth overlapping the lower front teeth too far vertically.
Diastema: A gap between two teeth, most often the upper front two. Guide.
Elastics: Small rubber bands hooked between upper and lower teeth to correct the bite. Guide.
Expander: An appliance that widens the upper jaw in a growing child. Guide.
Extrusion: Moving a tooth further out of the bone (down, for an upper tooth). Intrusion is the opposite.
Functional appliance: A removable or fixed appliance (such as twin blocks) that holds the lower jaw forward during growth.
Impacted tooth: A tooth that cannot erupt because it is blocked, usually an upper canine or a wisdom tooth.
Interproximal reduction (IPR): Polishing a fraction of a millimetre of enamel from between teeth to make space.
Ligature: The small elastic ring or fine wire that holds the archwire in a bracket; the "colour". Guide.
Malocclusion: Any bite that deviates from the ideal; the general term for what orthodontics treats.
Mandibular advancement: A feature of some aligners or appliances that posture the lower jaw forward in a growing patient.
Open bite: Front teeth that do not meet when the back teeth are together. Guide.
Overjet: How far the upper front teeth sit ahead of the lower front teeth, horizontally.
Panoramic radiograph: A single wide X-ray showing all the teeth and jaws, used to check development and tooth positions.
Phase 1 / Phase 2: Early treatment in a growing child (Phase 1) followed by a rest and, if needed, full treatment in the teens (Phase 2).
Refinement: An additional short series of aligners from a new scan to finish movements that did not fully track.
Relapse: Teeth moving back toward their pre-treatment positions. Guide.
Retainer: An appliance worn after treatment to hold the result. Guide.
Self-ligating bracket: A bracket with a built-in clip that holds the wire instead of an elastic tie.
Separator: A small rubber ring placed between back teeth for a week to make room for a band.
TAD (temporary anchorage device): A tiny screw placed in the jawbone as a fixed anchor for a specific movement; removed afterwards.
Tracking: Whether the teeth are following the aligner plan; a tray that seats fully is tracking.
Vivera: A brand of clear retainer made by the aligner manufacturer, supplied as a set. Guide.
Wax (orthodontic): Soft wax pressed over a bracket or wire end to stop it rubbing.

Orthodontic glossary: the words, in plain language

About this guide