Self Ligating Braces

Self-ligating braces straighten teeth using brackets and an archwire, without the use of colored rubber bands. Instead of using the rubber bands to connect the brackets to the archwire, self-ligating braces use a specialized bracket that clips directly to the wire.

This creates a more streamlined, discreet braces treatment that doesn’t draw as much attention to the orthodontic appliance. Self-ligating brackets come in clear and metal, although the wire is usually metal-colored.

The installation and treatment process is the same as traditional metal braces: your orthodontist affixes brackets directly onto your teeth, then bends the archwire across them, securing it at either end in specialized metal bands that go around your molars. Instead of connecting the archwire to the brackets with colored rubber bands, however, the self-ligating brackets are designed to hold the wire in place in a specialized slot where the wire slips through.

This treatment has become more popular in recent years but has been around for many decades. There are several benefits to self-ligating brackets that make them appealing to patients.

Self-ligating braces are similar to traditional metal braces, but there is one important difference: the design of self-ligating braces does not require elastic rubber bands to connect the brackets to the archwire.

Instead, the brackets are designed so that a small spring-loaded door closes over the archwire, locking the wire into place against the brackets without the use of rubber bands.