| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ID | OA-0205 |
| Type | component |
| Category | component |
| Fixed/removable | fixed (cemented) |
| Primary function | molar anchorage with integrated attachments |
| Uses TADs | no |
Bands with attachments are standard molar bands with pre-welded buccal tubes, lingual hooks, headgear tubes, or auxiliary slots. They are ordered from manufacturers (American Orthodontics, Ormco, 3M) by size and attachment configuration. The clinician selects the band by try-in, cements it, and the pre-welded attachments are immediately functional. Compared to plain bands with custom lab welding, pre-welded bands are faster and more consistent. However, custom appliances requiring non-standard attachment placement still use Plain band plain bands.
Bands with attachments are molar bands with buccal tubes, lingual sheaths, hooks, or headgear eyelets factory-welded or lab-soldered onto the band body. They are the fully functional equivalent of a bracket for the molar — combining the circumferential retention of a band with the attachment geometry required for archwire and auxiliary engagement. In most contemporary practices, factory pre-welded bands have replaced chairside welding.
Single buccal tube (0.022" slot): Standard molar engagement for archwire. The most common configuration.
Double buccal tube: Upper arch — a 0.022" slot for the archwire plus a round 0.045" tube for a headgear inner bow or utility arch.
Buccal tube + lingual sheath: Allows simultaneous use of a labial archwire and a lingual arch or TPA — common in RPE bands.
Headgear combination band: Buccal tube plus welded facebow eyelets for headgear attachment.
Herbst band: Heavy duty band with Herbst rod or Herbst pivot attachment for Class II correction.
Band selection depends on the appliance being constructed. For RPEs and TPAs, the band must include a lingual sheath in the correct gauge to receive the soldered appliance wire. For headgear cases, double-tube bands are required. Factory pre-welded torque and rotation values in the tube must match the clinician's prescription (MBT, Roth, Andrews).
Welded attachments increase the mesio-distal width of the band — second molar bands with heavy attachments can crowd the retromolar space in patients with limited arch length. Solder joints on lab-fabricated bands are failure points under heavy force (RPE activation, Herbst function); joint quality is a critical CFL quality-control issue.
For custom appliances (RPE, Herbst, lingual arch), the lab welds non-standard attachments to Plain band plain bands rather than using pre-welded bands. For standard full fixed appliance setups, clinician selects pre-welded bands directly.
Appliances that incorporate this component. ★ = fabricated by Clear Fusion Lab.
Rapid palatal expander
holding arch
Bluegrass appliance
arch
appliance
Lingual holding arch
loop space maintainer
expander
appliance
appliance
expander
M4 Herbst
(Maxillary Skeletal Expander)
standard molar anchorage unit
stacked; for headgear, Forsus, or lip bumper engagement
band; maximum versatility
to upper first molar bands for Class II elastics
Orthodontics](https://www.americanortho.com/product-category/bands/)