The brackets used for orthodontic treatment are now being manufactured with doors or clips to automatically hold the wire in place. Traditionally braces, up until now, have been designed with a horizontal slot across the front of the bracket for the wire to fit into. The wire then had to be held in place with small colored rubber bands or very thin wire tied around the bracket; these are called ties or ligatures. The brackets available to orthodontists now have various ways of holding the wire in place without the need for extra ligatures, thus termed “self ligating brackets”. A couple of the ways these brackets can now hold the wires in place are with a door that will slide up and down to hold wires in place, a clip that can be closed over the wires or even clips in a “c” shape that are placed on either side of the horizontal slot which the wires then snap into. Although there are different styles of these brackets, the main purpose is the same, less friction, easier movement resulting in quicker, less painful treatment time. There are many benefits of using these brackets both for the treating orthodontist and also the patient. Check with your local orthodontist to see which bracket their office utilizes. – Gigi