Braces treat orthodontic issues like malocclusion, gapped, overcrowded, or rotated teeth. Metal braces treatment gives you a flawless smile and enhances tooth functionality and health. The treatment is common among children and teenagers, although adults also wear them. If you are interested in the treatment, you should visit an orthodontist or a general dentist.
Many people are aware of braces, especially the traditional ones. However, do you understand how these restorations work to fix your oral problem? If you plan on receiving braces, you must understand your options and their functionality to strengthen your teeth.
General Functionality of Braces
Several braces exist, like clear or invisible aligners and ceramic ligatures. Examples of invisible aligners include metal braces. Therefore, it is always good to speak to your general dentist or orthodontist about the options for your orthodontic issue and the most appropriate treatment, depending on the type and severity of your concern.
For multiple patients with misaligned teeth, their preferred treatment is metal braces. If you are interested in braces, the first question you want your orthodontist to address is how they work or function.
Braces apply slight, straight, and nonstop pressure on teeth to gradually shift them to the correct position and address the misalignment. How the treatment shifts teeth to the appropriate position depends on your choice of braces.
Metal Braces
The most prevalent form of braces is metal braces. Also called traditional braces, metal braces are stainless steel cords, brackets, or bands that apply slight and direct pressure on misaligned or crooked teeth to shift them to their proper position.
When you visit your dental expert for the procedure, they glue or bond a brace to each affected tooth and then attach a thin, flexible archwire to these brackets. The archwire is then held solidly by ligatures (tiny elastic bands).
How do these move the teeth into their rightful position?
After placement, your dentist schedules several appointments every 4 to 8 weeks to adjust the archwire and apply extra pressure to the teeth.
The challenge with conventional braces is that they are noticeable when you smile. However, with the advancements in dentistry, you can find tooth-colored or invisible aligners to prevent people from noticing the changes you have made to your teeth when you smile.
Conventional braces are conspicuous, but they have advanced a lot. Previously, they were visible and bulky. Nevertheless, with technological advancements and innovations, braces have become smaller, more comfortable, unnoticeable, and practical.
A crucial benefit of traditional braces is that you wear them constantly, unlike removable or detachable braces, which you can remove but forget to wear, reducing the effectiveness of the treatment. However, you must properly care for the metal braces and maintain proper dental hygiene habits to achieve the desired outcome.
Other benefits of traditional braces include:
- Efficient and flexible.
- You do not experience speech changes.
- You must visit the dentist every 4 to 8 weeks.
- They are affordable.
- Their results are not dependent on your compliance.
Traditional braces have their downsides, including:
- They are hard to brush and floss.
- They are visible, which can adversely affect the appeal of your smile.
- Not recommended for dental patients with deprived oral hygiene.
Invisible Aligners or Braces
Also known as clear aligners or Invisalign, clear braces are substitutes for metal braces. The orthodontic appliances help with teeth alignment. Unlike conventional braces, Invisalign is transparent or invisible, which is the source of the name. Besides, your dental expert does not use wires and brackets to move teeth into appropriate positions. Instead, they use a chain of tailored trays to gradually move teeth to the correct position. An example of a prevalent clear aligner is Invisalign.
The treatment involves wearing trays for two weeks and going for a replacement for a new set. Invisible braces are removable, unlike metal braces, which can only be removed at the end of treatment. Nevertheless, you must wear the aligner trays for a minimum of 22 hours daily for the treatment to be effective. You can only remove the trays when brushing, eating, or drinking.
How effective are invisible aligners?
They are effective because, like traditional braces, they help move teeth to the appropriate position to prevent crowding, underbites, overbites, and open bites. The appliances differ from metal braces, but the outcome is the same.
When you hear of clear aligners for the first time, you will assume that the appliances work by snapping them into the teeth, and then the magic of shifting teeth happens. Nevertheless, this is untrue.
How Clear or Invisible Aligners Function
Invisible braces or aligners function by exerting force on the targeted teeth to gradually shift to the rightful position. The appliances are created to put slight pressure on teeth for gradual shifting, making the treatment comfortable.
Your orthodontist can also recommend aligner attachments, which are knobs for the aligner trays. They are invisible bumps attached to the teeth and remain there until treatment's conclusion. The shape of aligner attachments hinges on the requisite tooth movement, and their role is to exert pressure or force from the aligner trays on affected teeth, moving them to the desired position.
Invisible aligners and Invisalign continue to be popular because:
- They are invisible and transparent, making them unnoticeable.
- You can remove them when brushing or eating, making them appropriate even for patients with poor dental hygiene.
- They let you easily clean and floss your teeth.
- Achieve results quicker than other types of braces for several limited treatments.
- In some instances, they require fewer appointments.
- Some of these appointments are shorter.
You would be eligible for invisible aligners if you wore metal braces at a younger age and currently only need the orthodontic appliances for a moderate oral concern makeover like open bite, overbite, or misaligned teeth. Nevertheless, your orthodontist or general dentist is less likely to recommend these appliances for dental concerns that require complete treatment or are challenging.
If you have a challenging oral issue or require comprehensive treatment, your dentist can combine Invisalign and lingual braces for a tailored and esthetic solution.
Clear Aligners vs. Metal Braces
Which between metal braces and clear aligners works faster to straighten teeth?
After your dental expert explains these two teeth straightening options, you will want to know which works faster to achieve the desired outcome. Typically, with conventional braces, you must wear them for 12 to 36 months based on your oral needs. Conversely, treatment using clear aligners takes nine to eighteen months, and the dentist issues a new set of aligner trays every two weeks. Besides, clear aligners are comfortable and gentle because they exert slight pressure on teeth, making their shifting of teeth slower than the braces.
Therefore, the conventional braces move teeth to the correct position quicker than the invisible aligners. Nevertheless, the treatment duration using any orthodontic appliance varies depending on the dental patient's needs. Depending on your teeth misalignment, your orthodontist will give you an approximation of the treatment's duration.
Other Braces Types and How They Work
On top of traditional braces and invisible aligners, several other brace types exist, and it is essential to understand how they function. They include:
Lingual Braces
Lingual braces are like conventional braces. The only distinction is that your orthodontist places them on the back or behind the teeth, not the front surface. Many people prefer these appliances because they are difficult to notice when worn, as they are entirely invisible. It is an advantage no other form of braces provides. They are entirely invisible, tailored to the specific needs of your teeth, and are effective for a few patients.
Adults with complex orthodontic issues who wish to fix the problems without people noticing are the most suitable candidates for lingual braces. The appliances are also gaining popularity among teenagers conscious of their smiles.
However, you must know that very few general dentists or orthodontists can place these appliances behind the teeth, explaining why lingual braces are the least common in the market. Dental schools do not train orthodontists how to install lingual braces, meaning it is up to the dental expert to hone the skill and become an expert.
While these orthodontic appliances offer candidates many benefits, they have their downside. One of them is that because they are installed in the back of the teeth, you can experience speech changes and tongue irritation. However, these are just side effects that manifest after treatment but disappear within a few weeks when the mouth becomes familiar with the appliances.
Ceramic Braces
Clear braces, also called ceramic braces or ligatures, are made of transparent material that mimics the color of natural teeth. They work the same way as traditional braces but have reduced visibility. If you do not prefer lingual braces or Invisalign, your orthodontist will recommend ceramic braces if you seek an affordable, more inconspicuous teeth straightening option. Most of the people who opt for treatment are teenagers or young adults who are driven by aesthetics. Although they can be noticed when smiling, ceramic ligatures are less noticeable than metal braces. However, they are fragile and more likely to crack or break.
The ceramic material used in these appliances helps exert pressure on teeth, like the metal braces, but only in that they do not last as long as the metallic ones. Also, ceramic ligatures are bigger than the traditional ones and are susceptible to staining based on your diet and oral hygiene habits. These orthodontic appliances are not suitable for everyone, but they remain valuable tools for teeth straightening.
Self-ligating Braces
The self-ligating oral braces look and function like traditional and ceramic ligatures. Again, they are available in ceramic or metal material. Like conventional and ceramic braces, they rely on wires and brackets to pressure the teeth. The only distinction is that self-ligating oral braces use inbuilt clips instead of elastic rubber ties to hold the archwire in position.
With these braces, your dental appointments become significantly shorter as they are easily adjusted. Therefore, you should consider self-ligating oral braces if you struggle to stay still or remain calm in the dentist’s chair for extended durations. Also, if you are sensitive to pain or suffer from age-related delays that require the attention of an orthodontist, then this is the appropriate treatment for you.
Traditional braces function similarly, but you pick your preferred braces contingent on your orthodontic needs. Nevertheless, it would help if you always spoke to your dental expert before selecting the best treatment option.
Braces Complications
It is expected to experience brief discomfort in the first few days of receiving braces. Besides, every time there is tightening, you will experience tenderness. Nevertheless, you will not experience any pain when undergoing braces treatment. However, when you feel hurt, you can use Tylenol. Avoid Ibuprofen and NSAIDs because they slow down healing by blocking prostaglandins. Again, NSAIDs can inhibit the teeth-shifting process, extending the duration of the treatment.
Braces Aftercare
When wearing braces, you must observe good oral hygiene for the treatment to be effective. Dentists discourage people with poor dental hygiene from receiving metal braces because the brackets and wires trap food debris and plaque, increasing the risk of gingivitis and tooth decay. Therefore, your general dentist will recommend proper oral hygiene for optimum results. The tips to help you care for your teeth after undergoing a braces procedure are:
- Brush your teeth two times a day for a maximum of two minutes with fluoride toothpaste and a brush with soft bristles.
- Floss your teeth regularly, particularly near the braces.
- If you are wearing clear aligners or Invisalign, clean them regularly and store them safely after removal.
- Stick to soft foods like mashed potatoes.
- Steer clear of crunchy or hard substances.
- Rinse your mouth with antibacterial alcohol after meals.
- Maintain regular dental visits for tightening and maintenance.
- Arrange routine dental visits, preferably twice a year, for checkups and cleaning.
Once your teeth have moved to the correct position and the orthodontist removes the braces, you should wear retainers to prevent them from returning to their previous position. Your dental expert will help you pick the most appropriate retainers.
Find a Competent Orthodontist Near Me
Braces and invisible aligners are excellent for addressing orthodontic concerns like teeth straightening. Every treatment option has pros and cons, and it is up to you to pick the treatment that best fits your orthodontic needs. At Lasting Impressions Dental Spa, we will explain the available treatment options, help you choose the ideal procedure, and craft a tailored plan for the best outcome. Contact us at 818-751-5100 to arrange a meeting in Encino, CA.
