FOR CHILDREN | FOR ADULTS | TYPES OF BRACES | ORTHO DICTIONARY
For most people, a beautiful smile is the most obvious benefit of orthodontics. Other reasons people seek orthodontic care is to improve their bite, prevent further tooth wear, prepare for restorative treatment or even improve the esthetics of the jaw and facial soft tissues. After your braces come off, you'll feel more self-confident and your teeth will function more efficiently.
How Orthodontic Treatment Works
Orthodontic appliances can be made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. They may be removable or they may be brackets bonded to the teeth. By placing a constant, gentle force in a carefully controlled direction, braces slowly move teeth to a corrected position. This is a great time to wear braces! Gone are the days when a metal band with a bracket was placed around each tooth. You can choose brackets that are clear or metallic color. You can choose the color of the ties that hold the wire in brackets. Wires are also less noticeable than they used to be and the latest materials move teeth faster with less discomfort to patients.
Duration of Treatment
Treatment time typically ranges from one to three years, depending on the growth of the patient's mouth and face and the severity of the problem. Patients grow at different rates and will respond variously to orthodontic treatment, so the time to case completion may differ from the original estimate. The patient's diligent use of any prescribed rubber bands or headgear is an important factor in achieving the most efficient treatment. Interceptive, or early treatment procedures, may take as few as six months.
FOR CHILDREN
It's best for the orthodontist to see children by age 7 to advise if orthodontic treatment is required and when the best time might be for that patient to be treated. The first permanent molars and incisors have usually come in by that time and crossbites, crowding, and other problems can be evaluated.
At times it is best to begin treatment early when the orthodontist can work with growth of the child to guide the the jaw and incoming permanent teeth into more ideal positions. This early treatment, also called 'interceptive' or 'phase I' treatment, often eliminates or reduces the need for more complex orthodontic care later. Early treatment might include:
- Elimination of habits such as thumb-sucking
- Correction of underbites
- Addressing severe crowding that prevents eruption of the adult teeth
- Correction of a too narrow upper jaw resulting in a "crossbite"
- Reduction of severe "overbite" or appearance of "bucked" teeth
- Addressing the early loss of baby teeth
Many times, orthodontic treatment can wait until all the permanent teeth have erupted around ages 11-13. Your orthodontist can tell you the best timing for your child.
FOR ADULTS
While most people associate braces with children and teenagers, orthodontic treatment can be successful at any age. Adults especially appreciate the benefits of a beautiful smile.
Adult orthodontic treatment is similar to treatment in adolescents, but there are some differences. In adults, growth is complete, so if if there is a skeletal discrepancy of the jaws, surgical repositioning is more often required. Additionally, adults more commonly have planned or existing restorative (crowns, veneers, bridges and implants) and periodontal (gum disease and bone loss) issues. Special attention to timing and coordination between the orthodontist and other dental specialists is critical. In a small number of adults, medications, such as those that treat osteoporosis or osteopenia, can prevent or dramatically slow tooth movement.
Seeing an adult in braces is not quite as unusual as it was once before. In fact, 20-25% of patients in braces are over 21. The advancements in esthetics and comfort make getting that beautiful smile you've always wanted more appealing now than ever before.
Traditional Metal Braces
Traditional metal braces are the most common type of braces and are more comfortable today than ever before. Made of high-grade stainless steel, metal braces straighten your teeth using metal brackets and archwires. With metal braces, you have the option of adding colored elastics (rubber bands) for a more unique and colorful smile.
Ceramic braces
Ceramic braces are made of clear materials and are therefore less visible on your teeth than metal braces. For this reason, ceramic braces are used mainly on older teenagers and adult patients who have cosmetic concerns. While they are visually less prominent, they do require more attention to oral hygiene as ceramic braces are larger and are more brittle than their metal counterparts. For these reasons, ceramic braces tend to be used more on upper front teeth than on lower teeth.
“Invisible braces”
Clear appliances (such as Invisalign®) use a series of clear removable aligners to incrementally straighten your teeth. Because they are clear, they are very esthetic. And because they are removable, you can eat what you want while in treatment and brush and floss normally. In order to work, however, they must be worn at ALL times except when taken out for eating and cleaning. While there is nothing to poke or rub against your lips and cheeks as with traditional braces, general soreness, due to tooth movement, is the same. These appliances are most successful where minor tooth movement is the goal and are not indicated for more complex cases.
ORTHO DICTIONARY
Parts of Braces
Appliance: Anything your orthodontist attaches to your teeth which moves your teeth or changes the shape of your jaw.
Archwire: The metal wire that acts as a track to guide your teeth along as they move. It is changed periodically throughout treatment as your teeth move to their new positions.
Band: A metal ring that is cemented to your tooth, going completely around it. Bands provide a way to attach brackets to your teeth.
Bond: The seal created by orthodontic cement that holds your appliances in place.
Bracket: A metal or ceramic part (“brace”) cemented ("bonded") to your tooth that holds your archwire in place.
Coil Spring: A spring that fits between your brackets and over your archwire to open space between your teeth.
Elastic (Rubber Band): A small rubber band that is hooked between different points on your appliance to provide pressure to move your teeth to their new position.
Elastic Tie: The tiny rubber band that fits around your bracket to hold the archwire in place. They come in a variety of colors.
Headgear: Headgear uses an external wire apparatus known as a facebow to gently guide the growth of your face and jaw by moving your teeth into proper position. The force is applied to the facebow by a spring-loaded neck strap or head strap. The straps have a safety release that disconnects if the facebow is pulled or snagged.
Headgear Tube: A round, hollow attachment on your back bands. The inner bow of your headgear fits into it.
Hook: A welded or removable arm to which elastics are attached.
Ligature: A thin wire that holds your archwire into your bracket.
Palatal Expander: A device that makes your upper jaw wider.
Retainer: An appliance that is worn after your braces are removed, the retainer attaches to your upper and/or lower teeth to hold them in place. Some retainers are removable, while others are bonded to the tongue-side of several teeth.
Separator or Spacer: A small rubber ring that creates space between your teeth before the bands are attached.
Wax: Wax is used to stop your braces from irritating your lips.
Wire Tie: A fine wire that is twisted around your bracket to hold the archwire in place.
Procedures
Banding: The process of fitting and cementing orthodontic bands to your teeth.
Bonding: The process of attaching brackets (“braces”) to your teeth using special orthodontic cement.
Cephalometic X-ray: An x-ray that takes a side view of your head which shows the relative positions and growth of the face, jaws, and teeth.
Consultation: A meeting with your orthodontist to discuss a treatment plan.
Debanding: The process of removing cemented orthodontic bands from your teeth.
Debonding: The process of removing cemented orthodontic brackets from your teeth.
Impressions: The process of making a model of your teeth by biting into a soft material that hardens into a mold of your teeth. Your orthodontist will use these impressions to prepare your treatment plan.
Invisalign®: An alternative to traditional braces, Invisalign straightens your teeth with a series of clear custom-molded aligners. Invisalign can correct some, but not all, orthodontic problems.
Ligation: The process of attaching an archwire to the brackets on your teeth.
Panoramic X-ray: An x-ray that rotates around your head and captures a complete picture of your teeth, jaw, and other facial areas.
Baldwin ORTHODONTICS | 16150 NE 85th St., Suite 212 | Redmond, WA 98052