There are a few different types of attachments you may be given by your orthodontist, with or without braces. Attachments are used to secure elastics which help to pull teeth downwards or backwards to align a bite.
Bonded Attachments
Bonded attachments are very small and match the colour of your teeth. Without an elastic, they appear just as a small tooth-coloured bump on the outside of a tooth. They serve an important purpose. Wearing elastics is part of the fine-tuning of your alignment, and will tilt teeth at an angle not always possible to shift with a wire.
Bracket Attachments
Bracket attachments are metal, so are therefore more visible. But, they are small and sit on an existing bracket, which makes them more stable to hook elastics. They serve the same purpose as a bonded attachment. The elastics on both metal and bonded attachments should be removed to eat and clean the teeth. Similar to retainers, they should be worn as much as possible to allow you to have a quicker treatment time.
When can my attachments come off?
The attachments will most likely come off the same time as your braces. Most orthodontists will leave those attachments in place in case they need to be used again, as they don’t obstruct the mouth much more than a normal bracket. To remove a brace, your orthodontist will carefully free up and then remove the epoxy which will, in turn, remove the brace. For a bonded attachment, your orthodontist may just carefully file down the bump, which will remove the bonded attachment and leave your teeth shiny and smooth.
