Treatments

Types of Braces

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Traditional Metal Braces

Metal braces use stainless steel bands, brackets and wires to gently shift your teeth over time. An orthodontist will bond (glue) a bracket on each tooth, then place a thin, flexible archwire over the brackets. Tiny elastic bands keep the wire firmly in place. You can choose from any color of ligatures, even clear-colored.

Ceramic Braces

Ceramic braces work the same way as metal braces. The key difference is that the brackets, wires and ligatures are tooth-colored, so they blend in with your smile. Ceramic braces are still visible, but they’re less noticeable.

Lingual Braces

Lingual braces are similar to traditional braces. But they go on the back surfaces of your teeth instead of the front. Most people who choose lingual braces do so because they don’t want other people to be able to tell they have braces.

Invisalign

Instead of brackets and wires, clear aligners use a series of custom-made trays to straighten your teeth over time. With these systems, you wear each set of aligner trays for approximately two weeks. Then, you swap those trays out for the next set in the series. Unlike metal braces, clear aligners are removable.

Self-Litigating Braces

Self-ligating braces look similar to traditional metal braces. The main difference is that, instead of ligatures (tiny elastic bands), self-ligating braces use a built-in system to hold the archwire in place.

Teens

Braces today come in a variety of styles, materials, and colors, making life with braces much easier, more comfortable, and even more stylish than in the past.

The amount of time it takes to treat your smile with braces depends on three key factors:

  • Early treatment — Early treatment allows orthodontists to monitor the growth of the jaw and recommend further orthodontic treatment if it becomes necessary. Not everybody receives early orthodontic treatment; in some cases it may be recommended that a patient wait to receive treatment.
  • What needs correction — The amount of treatment needed to correct a problem will determine how long the process takes. Different patients react to treatments differently. While it may take one patient only 12 months to complete treatment, it may take another patient 24 months. Treatment times can vary depending on how quickly your body responds and how much work is needed to give you the show-stopping smile you expect.
  • YOU! — Your willingness to use the appliances your orthodontist gives you plays a major role in the length of time it takes to complete your treatment. Always remember to take care of your braces and appliances; this truly will help make your treatment shorter!

Younger Children

While there is no exact age for children to begin orthodontic treatment, the American Association of Orthodontists recommends visiting the orthodontist around age seven.

By this age, most children have a mix of baby teeth and adult teeth, making it easier for the orthodontist to diagnose and correct tooth and jaw problems sooner and without surgery.

Early treatment allows your orthodontist to:

  • Correct and guide the growth of your child’s jaw to help the permanent teeth come in straight
  • Regulate the width of the upper and lower arches
  • Create more space for crowded teeth
  • Avoid the need for permanent tooth extractions later in life
  • Correct thumb sucking and help improve minor speech problems

Adults

Orthodontic treatment is no longer just for teens. In fact, the American Association of Orthodontists states that 1 in 5 orthodontic patients is over the age of 21. Many adults are choosing to receive treatment because they understand the importance of maintaining their health, and they want to feel better about their appearance. Adults everywhere are taking advantage of the opportunity to receive orthodontic care, and now you can too.

Common reasons why adults consider orthodontics:

  • A bad bite or malocclusion, causing teeth to fit together incorrectly
  • Teeth are crowded or spaced apart, possibly causing tooth decay or gum disease
  • Abnormal jaw pain, or pressure that is caused by crooked teeth
  • Desire for a healthier mouth and a more confident smile