Class 2 Rubberbands
The first is called a Class 2 rubberband or elastic, and it is by far the most common rubber band worn by patients in orthodontic practices. Class 2 rubberbands correct overbites by pulling the upper and lower front teeth towards one another. You should think of it as your upper front teeth moving back, while your lower front teeth move forward.
To connect Class 2 rubberbands, you should start from the lower in the back, and locate the hooks on one of the large molar teeth at the very back of your mouth. Ideally, you would use the first molar which would be second from the back in an adult or sometimes the very last tooth and a younger patient where the second molar has not erupted yet. The hooks on the molars are curved towards the back, and sort of down by the gumline. They are not as obviously visible as the hooks on canines and premolars. You should reach back to connect the rubberband to the molar hook (you will probably do this more by feel than sight), and then pull up and forward to the canine hook. The canine hook sticks straight up on the canine, which is the third upper front tooth from the middle. The canine hook should be readily visible at the front of your mouth.
As with all rubberbands, you should wear them all the time except when you’re eating and brushing. For the Class 2 rubberband, the correction we are looking for is when your upper and lower front teeth barely touch one another, gently coupling together. Once you reach this point, please wear the rubber bands only when you sleep until we can get you in and see you again.
Class 3 Rubberbands
The next is called a Class 3 rubberband or elastic. Class 3 rubberbands correct underbites or relationships where the front teeth fit together edge-to-edge. They do this by pulling the upper and lower front teeth towards one another. You should think of it as your upper front teeth moving forward, while your lower front teeth move back. They are essentially the exact opposite of the Class 2 rubberband described above.
To connect Class 3 rubberbands, you should start from the upper in the back, and locate the hooks on one of the large molar teeth at the very back of your mouth. Ideally, you would use the first molar which would be second from the back in an adult or sometimes the very last tooth and a younger patient where the second molar has not erupted yet. The hooks on the molars are curved towards the back, and sort of down by the gumline. They are not as obviously visible as the hooks on canines and premolars. You should reach back to connect the rubberband to the molar hook (you will probably do this more by feel than sight), and then pull down and forward to the canine hook. The canine hook sticks straight down on the canine, which is the third lower front tooth from the middle. The canine hook should be visible at the front of your mouth, although you may need to pull your lip down to see it.
As with all rubberbands, you should wear them all the time except when you’re eating and brushing. For the Class 3 rubberband, the correction we are looking for is when your upper and lower front teeth barely touch one another, gently coupling together. Once you reach this point, please wear the rubber bands only when you sleep until we can get you in and see you again.
Vertical Rubberbands
The next is called a vertical rubberband or elastic. Vertical rubberbands correct openbites or relationships where there is space between the front teeth fit when you bite down all the way. They do this by pulling the upper and lower front teeth towards one another. You should think of it as your upper front teeth moving down, while your lower front teeth move up.
Connecting vertical rubber bands is typically pretty easy, as they connect right in the front, we’re visibility is best. To connect vertical rubberbands, you should start from the upper canine, and then pull down to connect to the hooks on the lower canine AND first premolar. The upper canine hook sticks straight up on the canine, which is the third upper front tooth from the middle. The lower canine hook sticks straight down on the canine, which is the third lower front tooth from the middle. The canine hook should be visible at the front of your mouth, although you may need to pull your lip down to see it. The lower premolar hook is on the tooth immediately behind the lower canine, fourth back from the middle front in the lower. For patients who started treatment in our practice, they should be pretty simple as these are the only teeth where the braces we use have hooks on them. In the event that you transferred into our practice from somewhere else, please contact our office and we can take a look at some photos you submit and give you more specific instructions.
As with all rubberbands, you should wear them all the time except when you’re eating and brushing. For the vertical rubberband, the correction we are looking for is when your upper and lower front teeth vertically overlap one another, with no space visible between the front teeth when you bite down. Once you reach this point, please wear the rubber bands only when you sleep until we can get you in and see you again.
Final Thoughts
Please let me emphasize, if you were uncertain or uneasy about monitoring your own progress wearing rubber bands, please don’t do so. We can always make up for it later. If you have any questions, please call the office at (904) 270–8750, or email us at info@lazzaraorthodontics.com. We are excited about a virtual consultation feature we will be adding to our website next week. It’s called SmileSnap, and it will offer a convenient and secure way for you to submit photographs for us to evaluate.
Stay safe and be well!
Dr. Lazzara
