Why do dentists make a mold of your teeth before getting braces?

Study models: The dentist creats a study model to plan the case and record the position of the teeth as a reference.

Helps with treatment: It is necessary for the dentist to study how your teeth come together so that he/she may properly treat you.

Diagnosis: Study models of your teeth permit the orthodontist to carefully examine your teeth and your bite problems without you being there. In addition, they can evaluate your bite from a variety of different angles, even looking from the perspective of your tone - things that are impossible to do otherwise.

Not a necessity: With modern digital imaging for diagnostic records, plaster models are becoming less and less popular. I took them for twenty years, but now they give me very little diagnostic information, so unless it is a very complicated or surgical case, I do not use them. It is the doctors' personal choice however, not a matter of right or wrong.

Rx planning: Molds of teeth are a 3 dimensional record of your problem before rx. They help the orthodontist visualize what's wrong so that he/she can plan what to do to make things right. Models also used to actually measure tooth size and bone size to asses incompatibility. Whether plaster or digital, models are the single most important "lab test" in an orthodontist's armamentarium.

Plan & Document: Casts show where your teeth are when the process starts and help plan where the teeth will be when treatment is completed. Also, as treatment progresses, they allow for changes as needed to make sure everything is on-track and correct the course if it needs to be changed. Finally, by looking at before & after casts, orhodontists can document your progress & learn from that to help others.