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Braces are often the ideal way to straighten teeth—especially when teeth are severely crowded—but you must be willing to wear braces for one to three years. Orthodontics is now a very common procedure for adults; in fact, 40 percent of orthodontic treatments are on adults. In addition to the standard silver brackets, braces are now available with small, clear or gold brackets that are bonded directly to the front of the teeth. These new small brackets eliminate that "metal mouth" look previously associated with braces.
It's common for some teeth to be slightly loose during and after braces. In response to the pressure exerted by the brackets and wires on your teeth, special cells remove bone on one side of each tooth and build bone on the opposite side. This process allows teeth to move through bone. Until all the bone has filled back in, teeth may be noticeably loose.
Malocclusion is the dental term for teeth that don't fit together properly. Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry that corrects malocclusions. The size of teeth and how they fit into a person's jaw are inherited traits. Some people are lucky and naturally have straight teeth. Others aren't so lucky. Also, habits like thumb sucking can also put pressure on teeth and cause a malocclusion. Missing teeth can cause a bad bite to develop, as well; the teeth around a space will shift, throwing off the entire bite. A malocclusion that isn't corrected can really affect a person's profile and appearance. It may also contribute to tooth decay, bone destruction, jaw-joint problems, and headaches. Correcting your bite through orthodontic treatment can improve your dental health.
Some conditions, such as an excessive overbite or under bite, are far more easily treated in the growing child. There are two kinds of devices used to re-position or hold the position of teeth, braces and functional dental appliances. Braces are usually cemented directly to all of the upper or lower tooth surfaces, and then connected by a stainless steel wire. Functional appliances are usually applied to fewer teeth, often to correct misalignment or an over/under bite, or to hold the space created when a tooth is lost or extracted. These devices may be fixed in the mouth and worn for extended periods, or they may be removable and worn only for short periods. By applying a functional appliance to an eight-year-old's protruding upper front teeth, which are very susceptible to injury, an orthodontist can more easily move them back into a less vulnerable, more attractive position. If you wait until your child is older, this is a more difficult task. If your child is under 10 years old, the normal growth of their permanent teeth will occasionally push the upper front teeth back together. Have your dentist x-ray these teeth to determine if the gap will close on its own.
Until recently, orthodontics was used mainly to straighten crooked teeth. Now, when problems are caught early enough, it's possible to actually alter the facial development of a growing child by using functional appliances on his teeth. Other orthodontic appliances don't work with facial development but do move teeth and correct malocclusions. One kind of appliance called a space maintainer is used after a baby tooth has been lost when the permanent tooth isn't due to come in soon. Braces are used to correct a bad bite once most of the permanent teeth are in. Until the 1980s, a steel band was placed around each tooth like a ring. A wire pulled the teeth into line and was attached to a little bracket that was on the front of the steel bands. You may remember what this looked like: a mouth full of metal! Fortunately, today these bands have been replaced with brackets that are bonded with an adhesive right to the front of the teeth. They're much more comfortable, smaller than an unpopped popcorn kernel, and much less noticeable than the steel bands.
Clear sapphire brackets are also available, but they're usually more expensive and tougher to keep clean. A stainless steel wire still connects the brackets, and different sizes of wire provide the proper pressure to move the teeth. Elastics that now come in many colors hold the wire in place. Special elastic bands may be added to speed up tooth movement. Other wires and attachments are used in more difficult cases. It's pretty amazing how far teeth can move through bone. Your bone responds to the tension created by these brackets and wires by making special cells on each side of a tooth. These cells remove bone on one side of the tooth and make bone on the opposite side. That's what allows the tooth to move.
The time a child spends in braces depends on the severity of the malocclusion, but it's usually between one and three years. It's hard for children to clean their teeth once braces are on, so regular cleaning appointments are more important than ever. Permanent white stains may form on teeth if plaque isn't regularly removed. After treatment, retainers are used to hold the teeth in their new alignment. Some retainers are designed to be removable, while others are cemented in place. Successful orthodontic treatment is a partnership of effort between everyone involved. Through a cooperative effort, the final goal can be reached—a healthy mouth and a beautiful smile.
Orthodontists all over the world have used braces behind the teeth—also called lingual appliances— since the early 1980s. Treatment time is comparable to standard braces (18 to 24 months), and the quality of treatment is excellent. Lingual appliances are the finest aesthetic option for an individual who wants truly invisible braces
Teeth can be straightened at any age. In fact, one out of four orthodontic patients in the United States today is an adult. Until the 1980s, a steel band went around each individual tooth like a ring. The wire that pulled the teeth into line was attached to a little bracket on the front of the steel bands. This looked like a mouth full of metal! Fortunately, today these bands have been replaced with brackets that are bonded with an adhesive right to the front of the teeth. They're much more comfortable, smaller than an unpopped popcorn kernel, and much less noticeable than the bands. Clear sapphire brackets are also available, but they're usually more expensive and tougher to keep clean.
A stainless steel wire still connects the brackets; different sizes of wire provide the pressure to move the teeth. Elastics that come in many different colors hold the wire in place. Special elastic bands may be added to speed up tooth movement. Other wires and attachments are used in more difficult cases.
It's pretty amazing how far teeth can move through bone. Your bone responds to the tension created by these brackets and wires by making special cells on each side of the tooth. These cells remove bone on one side of the tooth and make bone on the opposite side. That's what allows the tooth to move. It's harder to clean your teeth once braces are on, so regular cleaning appointments will be more important than ever. Permanent white stains may form on teeth if plaque isn't removed regularly. After treatment, retainers are used to hold the teeth in their new alignment. Some retainers are designed to be removable, while others are cemented in place. It's nice to know that with orthodontic treatment you're never too old to improve your smile and the health of your mouth.
Malocclusion is the dental term for teeth that don’t fit together properly; literally malocclusion means “bad bite.” Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry that corrects malocclusions and brings your teeth into proper alignment. Some people are lucky and naturally have straight teeth. Other aren’t so lucky. The size of your teeth and how they fit into your jaw are inherited traits, and malocclusion can often affect several generations. Besides genetics, malocclusions can also be caused by; accidents or disease, a missing tooth allowing the teeth around the open space to shift, and habits such as a thumb sucking, which can put pressure on the teeth.
There are many types of malocclusions. Your upper and lower jaw may be too far in or out. There may be enough space in your mouth for your teeth to develop properly, leading to crowding. On the other hand, your might have too much space between your teeth, allowing them to shift, or your teeth maybe in cross bite, which means that one or more of your upper teeth bit inside your lower teeth. A malocclusion that isn’t corrected can really affect your profile and appearance. Poorly aligned teeth can also contribute to tooth decay, bone destruction, loss of teeth, and jaw-joint problems. These may in turn cause headaches, difficulty in opening and closing your mouth, clicking and popping sounds, and sore and painful jaw muscles. Correcting your bite through orthodontic treatment can improve your dental health and the added bonus of boosting your self-confident and giving you a terrific looking smile.
Braces are a great way to straighten and realign your teeth to create the beautiful smile you deserve. However, caring for your teeth while you have braces can be challenging, because there are a lot of brackets, bands, and wires to work around. Because there fixtures create dozens of “nooks and crannies” in your mouth, there are more places for food particles and plaque to hide. This can result in tooth decay, gum disease, and permanent staining, which will negatively affect the terrific smile your braces were meant to create. Certain techniques are used for caring for your teeth while you have your braces. Floss at least once a day. We’ll give you a floss threader to use at home. Insert floss into the loop of the floss threader, and then insert the floss threader between the wires and your teeth. Remove the floss threader, pull the floss into a “C” shape around the side of your tooth, and floss up and down the sides of each tooth. Check carefully to see if you’ve missed any areas, and then rinse thoroughly with plenty of water. Next use fluoride toothpaste and toothbrush with soft bristles and a small head to brush. Brush in the morning, before bed, and after each meal, giving extra attention to the areas where the brackets and bands meet the tooth, and where the tooth meets the gum line.
It’s also a good idea to carry travel toothbrush so you can brush your teeth when you’re away from home. At times when you absolutely cannot brush, be sure to rinse your mouth thoroughly with water. Remember, as you brush, angle the brush toward your gums and go over each tooth using a small, circular motion. Get between the wires and brackets as much as your can with the bristles of your toothbrush. Don’t forget to gently brush your gums, tongue, and roof of your mouth. Be sure to visit us every six months for an exam and a thorough, professional cleaning. We’ll help you keep your mouth free from plaque and cavities. Cutting down on sweets will help you avoid tooth decay, so avoid sugary foods and foods that stick to your teeth. Also, watch out for hard foods like corn nuts, popcorn hulls, and ice, because they can damage your braces. It’s best to softer foods and cut hard foods into smaller bites.
Braces used to be the only way to straighten teeth affected by malocclusion (a bad bite). But now, we have a system called Invisalign that allows us to straighten your teeth without using the brackets and wires of traditional braces. The patented Invisalign system uses a series of clear, removable aligners to gradually reposition teeth. We’ve chosen to offer the Invisalign system because they aligners are more visually appealing then braces. They’re also removable, which makes it easier to clean your teeth after eating. The aligners are smooth and comfortable, and they don’t irritate your gums, cheek, or tongue. The Invisalign system also eliminates any allergic reactions that you may experience with metal.
We first take impressions of your teeth, bite registrations, photographs, and x-rays. We send these materials, accompanied by a treatment plan, to the laboratory. The lab then creates the aligners- a set of precisely customized, clear models. Each aligner is worn for about two weeks, and you’ll remove them only to eat, drink, brush, and floss. About every two weeks, you’ll replace the aligner with the next one in the series. Your teeth will move, a little at a time, until they are straightened to the desired position. About every 6 weeks, you’ll visit us so that you can ensure that your treatment is progressing appropriately. IT typically takes nine to fifteen months to complete orthodontic treatment with Invisalign, during which time 18-30 aligners are used. The time it takes to complete treatment will vary according to your specific circumstances. After thorough exam and a review of your healthy history and lifestyle, we’ll determine if Invisalign is right for you.
For more information, go to
www.arlingtondentalarts.com/.