Types of Braces - Which Type Is Best For You

If you have suffered from the negative effects on your self-esteem and happiness from uncomfortable or irregular teeth and jaws, braces can help to turn your hidden smile into a stunning straight grin, using a variety of options. 

The need for properly aligned teeth and jaws goes beyond simple aesthetic appeal, providing the individual with an effective bite, chew and fluency of speech, all contributing to your sense of comfort and happiness. Straight teeth also help to prevent physical health problems in the future, maintain healthy gums and improve your facial profile.  If you have been reluctant to undergo treatment due to the anticipated effect on your appearance whilst wearing braces, types of brace exist including invisible, clear and lingual braces to minimise the visual impact on your face, leaving you free to achieve the look you want in the most discrete way possible. Whilst some braces exist that can be removed at regular intervals, others such as lingual braces, can be constructed around the backs of your teeth, keeping them out of sight and mind. The comfort to your mouth can also be maximised with modern fastening methods for arch wires creating minimum irritation to your cheeks and gums.

With recent advancements in the field of orthodontics, traditional methods such as brackets have undergone a change from the older ‘train-tracks’ of the past and can now be implemented smaller and are often clear in appearance, while treatment times have lessened, making the overall experience one that causes minimum interference to your life.

For adults requiring braces, whatever your orthodontic needs, there exists an option to help achieve the straight smile you’ve always wanted  to project yourself with the confidence you need in both your personal and professional life.

Orthodontics braces have ability to enhance the size and shape of your smile, allowing you to shine through and leave behind your insecurities.

What is First and Second Phase Orthodontic Treatment

The goal of First Phase Treatment is to develop the child’s jaw size to make room for the future eruption of permanent teeth and to improve the relationship of the upper and lower jaws. Children sometimes exhibit early signs of jaw problems as they grow and develop. An upper or lower jaw that is growing too much or not enough can benefit from early orthodontic treatment. The early correction can prevent later removal of permanent teeth due to excessive overbite or overcrowding. Leaving such a condition untreated until all permanent teeth erupt could result in a jaw imbalance too severe to achieve an ideal result with braces.

• To maintain the First Phase Treatment results and to allow the remaining permanent teeth to erupt, retainers are worn at night between phases. Starting at age ten, children lose twelve primary baby) teeth and by age twelve or thirteen they gain sixteen permanent teeth. During this period occasional appointments for observation and retainer adjustments will be necessary, usually on a three to six month basis.

• Influence jaw growth in a positive manner
• Improve the width of the dental arches
• Reduce the need to extract permanent teeth
• Reduce or eliminate the need for jaw surgery
• Lower the risk of trauma to protruded front teeth
• Correct harmful oral habits
• Simplify and shorten treatment time for definitive orthodontic treatment (phase)
• Increase stability of final treatment results
• Improve speech development
• Improve position of first molars
• Guide permanent teeth into more favorable positions
• Improve lip competence
• Preserve or gain space for erupting teeth
• Improve compliance before the busy teenage years

The goal of Second Phase Treatment is to position all the permanent teeth to maximize their appearance and function. This is best accomplished by placing braces on all the upper and lower teeth. Due to the improvements made in First Phase Treatment, Second Phase Treatment requires less patient involvement (less frequent use of headgear and rubber bands), often eliminates removing permanent teeth and greatly reduces the time spent in full braces.

Orthodontist of Orthodentist – What Is The Difference????

There is an advertisement that is being placed by an organization that represents Orthodontic specialists. The ad implies that orthodontics can be preformed by orthodontist only. The Invisilign technology has cut into the Orthodontist financial “pie” because general dentists are doing the majority now. However that is no excuse for making some of the public equate that “only orthodontists” do orthodontics. As a generalists/Orthodentist, we are qualified and held to the same standards that the specialist/Orthodontist are. I, along with some of my orthodontic and pediatric and pediatric collogues are on the cutting edge of orthopedics. This is the treatment of the whole jaw early in our lives to create enough space before braces. Sometimes called First and Second Phase Orthodontics. By correcting these issues early saves both time, money and even more, prevents the need for extractions. Who is better to do this than the Pedodontist or Generalist/Orthodentist? Both of these modalities of dentistry see the patient sooner than the Orthodontist. I think this is more of the reason for the short – sighted ads placed by the Organization.

Some people say orthodontists are the only ones that should do orthodontics. Following that same line of logic then…kids under twelve should be seen by a pedodontist, crowns, veneers and bridges by a prosthodontist, root canals by an endodontist, cleanings and perio by a periodontist, extractions by an oral surgeon. The fact is that these are all specialties that dentists have limited their practice to. A general or “family” dentist is held to the same levels of care that all of the specialist. However, there is one difference…the general dentist has specialist that he/she refers patients to if the treatment is in ‘need’ of a specialist. The fact is that the generalist should be able to do most procedures. The extra cost incurred by going to a specialist is because of this fact. A fair analogy would be going to an Ear Nose Throat Specialist instead of your family Doctor. If your physician saw that you needed to be treated by a specialist then he would refer you to one that he trusted which is exactly what you would want. The fact that most of your basic needs are met by your general physician/dentist makes sense. On the other side I would not want my family physician “specializing” in hip replacements when it is my cold that I wanted to have looked at. The same is true of dentists. I wouldn’t go to my dentist for a tooth that hurts if he is only trained in “cosmetics”. Choosing a good generalist is important. Interview the doctor and ask questions. If he does “orthodontics” then ask what his qualifications are. It took me many years and hundreds of post-doctoral courses to be proficient in orthodontics. It is true that you just don’t start doing orthodontics or any other “specialty” until you are qualified to do so. This is a rule that our profession holds us to at the perils of loosing our license if we do not! Go for second opinions if you feel uncomfortable with the treatment or costs proposed but be sure your doctor is well rounded in all areas of dentistry. One shoe does not fit all and the same is true in dentistry. So make sure you get the dentist that “fits” and yes that means a good knowledge of orthodontics too.

“Ortho” means correct or straight, and “Odont” means tooth.

Orthodontics is a special discipline of dentistry concerned with aligning the teeth and jaws to improve your smile and oral health. Through orthodontic treatment, problems like crooked or crowded teeth, overbites or underbites, incorrect jaw position and disorders of the jaw joints can be resolved.

Patients with orthodontic problems can benefit from treatment at any age. An ideal time for placement of braces is between 10 and 14 years of age, while the head and mouth are still growing and teeth are more accessible to straightening. However, orthodontic treatment isn’t just for kids - more and more adults are also wearing braces to correct minor problems and improve their smiles!

Orthodontic treatment may be beneficial to patients suffering from any of the following conditions;

- Early or late loss of baby teeth
- Difficulty in chewing or biting
- Mouth breathing
- Thumb sucking as a child
- Crowding, misplaced or blocked-out teeth
- Jaws that shift or make sounds
- Speech difficulties
- Biting the cheek or the roof of the mouth
- Teeth that meet abnormally, or don’t meet at all
- Facial imbalance
- Jaws that are too far forward or back
- Grinding or clenching of the teeth

Although individual problems determine the best time to start orthodontic treatment, early diagnosis is best.