Getting Braces and What to Expect
Before getting braces off, you need them on! Here's the way it goes:
- Orthodontic Records
- Treatment Planning/Consultation
- Risks and Limitations
- Separators
- Placing the Braces
- Adjustment Appointments
- Removing the Braces
- Retention and Retainers
When getting braces, many patients are quite nervous about getting braces, mainly due to things they have heard from family or friends. Most of the time, after an explanation is given about what to expect with the braces, this nervousness will be eased. Pain and soreness with braces, breakage of appliances, and how to deal with orthodontic emergencies are common concerns:
- Pain Management with Braces
- Avoiding Breakage of Braces
- Cooperation Issues
- Orthodontic Emergencies
- Oral Hygiene
Braces have been around for a very long time. In fact, a simple form of orthodontic appliances has been documented as early as 1000 B.C. The design and components have changed and been improved over the years, but the basic idea has remained largely the same.
The basic idea behind braces is to produce a force on a tooth in a specific, controlled amount and direction to move a tooth (the biology of just how a tooth moves when a force is applied will be discussed later). A photo of a bracket, or a single brace, that is attached to the front side of a tooth is shown below.
The diagram below shows the basic components of a 
bracket, which are the wings, slot, and base. The slot is where the wire is placed. Wings provide a means to hold a wire into the slot with a small rubber band. The base is used to attach the bracket to the tooth.
bracket, which are the wings, slot, and base. The slot is where the wire is placed. Wings provide a means to hold a wire into the slot with a small rubber band. The base is used to attach the bracket to the tooth.
A band is also a part of the braces, currently used primarily on the back molar teeth. It was commonplace to band all of the teeth even as recent as 10-15 years ago. With the introduction of newer bonding materials, bands have become less common except for the back molars. Bands are sometimes used for the teeth in front of the molars (premolars), though most orthodontists will bond brackets to these teeth.
A picture of a band on a molar is shown below. The bands provide the same type of attachments as a bracket that is glued to the teeth, except the wire slides into a tube. The tube provides added support for tooth movement with the wires, and the band surrounding the tooth provides added structural support and security against breakage.
When Getting Braces You Have Option on the Type of Braces:
- Ceramic and “Tooth Colored” Braces
- Clear Inspire Sapphire Braces
- Invisalign Braces
- Lingual (behind-the-teeth) Braces
- Metal Braces (including Self-Ligating Braces and Viazis Braces)
Getting Lingual Braces
What are Lingual Braces and what do they do?
To get a fantastic smile, both kids and adults may benefit for the utilization of braces. Braces assist in many common dental conditions. Teeth may be misaligned—what’s known medically as malocclusion. This includes conditions such as cross bite, overbite, under bite, and also when teeth have too much spaced or are too crowded.
Correcting your dental condition leads to not only a more attractive smile, but also better overall health. If you have problems with malocclusion, braces will help prevent future dental problems through minimizing stress on the gums and jaw.
Most of us are familiar with the traditional metal braces, wires, and brackets that appear on front of the upper and lower teeth. For this reason, some patients who would benefit from corrective braces might be reluctant to consult their orthodontist. The obviousness of frontal braces makes people self-conscious. For those people, there is the additional option of lingual braces.
What are the advantages of lingual braces?
First off, lingual braces are invisible. The brackets are placed on the back side of the teeth, and they are not visible from the front. Working just like traditional braces, lingual braces eventually straighten a patient’s teeth within the same amount of time metal braces would. Of course, each patient’s timeline depends upon the specific case of lingual braces aligning.
Lingual braces can significantly enhance an individual’s appearance – without the self-confidence shakers of metal braces. Therefore, lingual braces are a great option for both adult professionals and teens who would feel more confident with invisibility—all while managing great dental health. Lingual braces can also be extremely convenient for those who play wind instruments or contact sports.
In contrast to conventional metal braces, lingual braces are custom-fit to the patient, ensuring a higher comfort level. Sometimes a patient will use a combination of lingual braces on the upper teeth and ceramic, tooth-colored braces on the lower teeth.
How do lingual braces work?
For lingual braces, your teeth will be utilized to make an impression. Afterwards, a laboratory will then use computer technology to design the metal brackets customized for the back of each tooth. The brackets are then transferred to your teeth and cemented.
In terms of maintenance, you will have regularly scheduled appointments with your orthodontist, who monitors your dental progress and provides you with updates for new aligners.
Who are good candidates for lingual braces?
Lingual braces are suitable for patients of any age. This gives lingual braces an advantage over plastic invisible braces, which can usually only be used around at age twelve. In addition, lingual braces are a good option for those who have sensitivity to plastic.
How do you care for lingual braces?
The main concern in caring for lingual braces is the first few days. You will need to eat softer foods. You will need to grow accustomed to how the braces feel in your mouth by practicing talking. You might need dental wax to assist you on occasion. After you initially adjust to the braces, you just use common sense in avoiding stringy foods, which might get caught in the brackets.
What is the right option for me?
Improving your dental heath is an important investment for your future, both in terms of your health and appearance. Invisible lingual braces offer a viable advantage over traditional frontal metal braces in both looks and comfort. You have a choice to get healthier and more attractive in the manner most advantageous to your life.
To get a fantastic smile, both kids and adults may benefit for the utilization of braces. Braces assist in many common dental conditions. Teeth may be misaligned—what’s known medically as malocclusion. This includes conditions such as cross bite, overbite, under bite, and also when teeth have too much spaced or are too crowded.
Correcting your dental condition leads to not only a more attractive smile, but also better overall health. If you have problems with malocclusion, braces will help prevent future dental problems through minimizing stress on the gums and jaw.
Most of us are familiar with the traditional metal braces, wires, and brackets that appear on front of the upper and lower teeth. For this reason, some patients who would benefit from corrective braces might be reluctant to consult their orthodontist. The obviousness of frontal braces makes people self-conscious. For those people, there is the additional option of lingual braces.
What are the advantages of lingual braces?
First off, lingual braces are invisible. The brackets are placed on the back side of the teeth, and they are not visible from the front. Working just like traditional braces, lingual braces eventually straighten a patient’s teeth within the same amount of time metal braces would. Of course, each patient’s timeline depends upon the specific case of lingual braces aligning.
Lingual braces can significantly enhance an individual’s appearance – without the self-confidence shakers of metal braces. Therefore, lingual braces are a great option for both adult professionals and teens who would feel more confident with invisibility—all while managing great dental health. Lingual braces can also be extremely convenient for those who play wind instruments or contact sports.
In contrast to conventional metal braces, lingual braces are custom-fit to the patient, ensuring a higher comfort level. Sometimes a patient will use a combination of lingual braces on the upper teeth and ceramic, tooth-colored braces on the lower teeth.
How do lingual braces work?
For lingual braces, your teeth will be utilized to make an impression. Afterwards, a laboratory will then use computer technology to design the metal brackets customized for the back of each tooth. The brackets are then transferred to your teeth and cemented.
In terms of maintenance, you will have regularly scheduled appointments with your orthodontist, who monitors your dental progress and provides you with updates for new aligners.
Who are good candidates for lingual braces?
Lingual braces are suitable for patients of any age. This gives lingual braces an advantage over plastic invisible braces, which can usually only be used around at age twelve. In addition, lingual braces are a good option for those who have sensitivity to plastic.
How do you care for lingual braces?
The main concern in caring for lingual braces is the first few days. You will need to eat softer foods. You will need to grow accustomed to how the braces feel in your mouth by practicing talking. You might need dental wax to assist you on occasion. After you initially adjust to the braces, you just use common sense in avoiding stringy foods, which might get caught in the brackets.
What is the right option for me?
Improving your dental heath is an important investment for your future, both in terms of your health and appearance. Invisible lingual braces offer a viable advantage over traditional frontal metal braces in both looks and comfort. You have a choice to get healthier and more attractive in the manner most advantageous to your life.
Getting Metal Braces
Metal Braces are now smaller and more comfortable than old fashioned braces. They have what is known as a low profile design, which causes much less irritating to your lips and mouth. They also have special contours to make your orthodontic treatment go faster and with much less pain involved.
Metal brackets can be silver or golden. The golden brackets look a bit more “jewelry-like” and are often a popular choice with young women.
Metal brackets are very strong and can withstand most types of treatment. At first they may irritate your gums, but after a few weeks, when your cheeks get “toughened up” they are not a problem anymore. Most traditional metal braces require an elastic o-shaped rubber band, called a ligature to hold the arch wire onto the bracket. Sometimes orthodontists use metal tie wires (little wires which are twisted around the bracket) in place of elastic ligatures.
In the “old days”, metal braces were not just brackets, but bands that wrapped around the entire tooth. Nowadays, people wear small metal brackets that are glued to the front of each tooth (a big improvement!) Those old-fashioned bands are usually reserved for molars or teeth with fillings that spill to the outside surface of a tooth. Metal brackets tend to be less expensive than other types of brackets. In addition, you can make them colorful with ligatures that come on a rainbow of colors.
A different type of metal bracket is called the Viazi (or Viazis) bracket, sometimes called “FastBraces.” This is a patented technique created by Texas orthodontist Anthony D. Viazis, DDS and used successfully on patients since about 1992. Viazis brackets are triangular and utilize a low-force square wire. The Viazis technique is reported to result in less pain and sensitivity, and complete treatment faster than traditional brackets. The patented braces system moves the crown and the root of the teeth at the same time, from the beginning of treatment, in one stage, with typically one square wire.
Conventional metal braces systems typically move the crown of the tooth with round wires during the first year and the root of the tooth with square or rectangular wires during the second year. For more information on Viazis brackets, and to find orthodontists who use this method
You may have heard of “speed braces.” These are sometimes also referred to as “self-ligating brackets” or “Damon Brackets.” Self-ligating means that the brackets do not need the little o-shaped rubber bands (ligatures) or metal tie wires to hold the arch wire onto the bracket. Several companies have come up with various techniques for holding the arch wire in place without ligatures.
Before consulting your dentist or orthodontic surgeon consider the following:
- The severity of your bite or tooth crookedness problems
- If extractions are necessary
- If jaw surgery is necessary
- If headgear or other special appliances are necessary
- The amount of time you will need to wear braces
- The preferences of your dentist or orthodontist
- How much you are willing to pay
- How long you will be in braces to correct your problems
- What you want out of braces.
thanks for a great posT!
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