Why did my orthodontist give me these cheap rubber bands?

My first orthodontist gave rubber bands to pull my bottom molars and bottom front teeth together after they extracted two teeth. I had to replace the bands once every two days. Then I moved and got two more teeth extracted from my top teeth, and my new orthodontist gave me rubber band that I'm supposed to replace every 3 hours! The only difference is that they anchor my top front teeth with my bottom molars instead of my top ones, so the band kind of pulls by jaw forward. Why didn't they give me the rubber bands you change every two days?

Why did my orthodontist give me these cheap rubber bands?
I have worked in orthodontics for over 30 years and we have usually instructed that elastics should be changed once daily, preferably in the morning. The only other time they should be changed during the day is if you break one, you should change the pair. If you take them out to eat, you should place the same ones back in unless you lose them.





Braces, including elastics, work by exerting gentle, constant pressure. The elastics you are wearing now are serving a different purpose than the previous ones. It has nothing to do with being cheaper elastics. I do question whether they should be changed every three hours though. It seems a bit often.





Attached are some links to other dental offices that spell out how to wear elastics.