All you need to know about dental braces.

 Part 2

How Orthodontic Treatment Work

Fixed and removable appliance are used to help move teeth, retrain muscles and affect the growth of the jaws. These appliances work by placing gentle pressure on the teeth and jaws. The severity of your problem will determine which orthodontic approach is likely to be the most effective.

Some of the fixed appliances for Orthodontic treatment are;

·        Braces: These were designed to straighten teeth while improving your smile and oral health.

They consist of metal brackets being glued to your teeth and tied together by wires and tiny rubber bands. Braces are the most common fixed appliances made of bands, wires and/or brackets. Bands are fixed around the teeth  and used as anchors for the appliance, while brackets are most often bonded to the front of the tooth. Braces are usually adjusted monthly to bring about the desired results, which may be achieved within a few months to a few years. Lately, braces are smaller, lighter and show far less metal than in the past. They come in bright for kids as well as clear styles preferred by many adults. The brackets can be designed to closely match your enamel colour (making them more discrete), or you can get them in colour to make a fashion statement with your mouth.

 

·        Aligners: An alternative to traditional braces for adults are being used by an increasing number of orthodontists to move teeth in the same way that fixed appliances work, however,  without metal wires and brackets. Aligners are virtually invisible and are removed for eating, brushing and flossing.

Also called, invisible braces, they are designed to straighten teeth while improving your smile and oral health. Aligner trays made of smooth, comfortable, BPA-free clear plastic are worn over your teeth to subtly and gently move your teeth.

·        Special fixed appliances: These are used to control thumb sucking or tongue thrusting, these appliances are attached to the teeth by bands. Because they are very uncomfortable during meals, they should be used only as a last resort.

·        Fixed space maintainers: If a baby tooth is lost prematurely, a space maintainer is used to keep the space open until the permanent tooth erupts. A band is attached to the tooth next to the empty space, and a wire is extended to the tooth on the other side of the space.

Removable appliances include:

·        Removable space maintainers: These devices serve the same function as fixed space maintainers. They're made with an acrylic base that fits over the jaw, and have plastic or wire branches between specific teeth to keep the space between them open.

·        Jaw repositioning appliances: Also called splints, these devices are worn on either the top or lower jaw and help train the jaw to close in a more favourable position.

·        Lip and cheek bumpers: These are designed to keep the lips or cheeks away from the teeth. Lip and cheek muscles can exert pressure on the teeth, and these bumpers help relieve that pressure.

·        Palatal expander: This is a device used to widen the arch of the upper jaw. It is a plastic plate that fits over the roof of the mouth. Outward pressure applied to the plate by screws force the joints in the bones of the palate to open lengthwise, widening the palatal area.

·        Removable retainers: These are worn on the roof of the mouth, these devices prevent shifting of the teeth to their previous position. They can also be modified and used to prevent thumb sucking.

·        Headgear: This is device strap placed around the back of the head and attached to a metal wire in front, or face bow. Headgear slows the growth of the upper jaw, and holds the back teeth where they are while the front teeth are pulled back.