Spacers

[cherylyn]

This may sound stupid but I need to ask someone. One of my ortho consultant resulting in the ortho saying that I needed spacers on my back teeth, the molars. What are spacers needed for? And do you keep the spacers on during the course of the treatment?

[Sunny]

The spacers are very small donut shaped rings of rubber, or sometimes they can be small pieces of metal. They're put on either side of a tooth that requires a molar band around it. The spacers are only put in for a short time, to make the space to allow the ortho to place the molar band and bond it in place.

Many orthos use buccal molar brackets now, so you'll now find a mix when it comes to whether you use spacers or not. One is not better than the other ... it's just a preference by some, plus some ortho's prefer to use molar bands if the patient is going to need an appliance that can be attached to the band.

Click here and you'll see a pic of a the last molar with a molar band around it, and the second back molar has a spacer on either side of it.