Teeth braces have been around for decades but how do braces work to straighten your teeth? The idea of dental braces was first introduced to correct crooked teeth in children; however, more and more adults are turning to this treatment to fix their smiles.
Teeth braces are made of ceramic, various wires, metal, and bonding agents that allow the braces to stick firmly to your teeth. There are invisible braces using aligner trays that can be taken off and there are lingual braces that can be placed behind a person’s teeth to be less visible. Here are the basics of how teeth braces work.
Continuous Regular Pressure
To straighten crooked teeth, braces work by placing pressure on your teeth and jaw over extended periods. Your teeth are separated from the jaw by a membrane that allows your teeth to be repositioned as needed. Over time, your jaw slowly adapts to the pressure of the braces and conforms to a new shape.
Braces also need to be adjusted and tightened over time to ensure continuous pressure. Although braces themselves don’t hurt, there is some discomfort to be expected each time the braces are adjusted.
Bonding with Brackets
These small pieces of metal are glued to the teeth and act as a middleman between the bands and arch wires. The brackets don’t damage the teeth in any way, and you can use any style and design you like. The point of the bracket is so that the rest of the arch wires and elastic bands can be applied evenly over all the teeth.
Each bracket grabs onto the tooth acting as little hands secured with glue. Each bracket connects with arch wires and helps to keep pressure on the teeth. The teeth glue used to secure the brackets is safe from any toxic chemicals, and won’t damage your teeth at all.
Arch Wires
Arch wires are long thin pieces of wire that interlink each tooth to one another. The wire is fed through the brackets and tied tightly to correct the alignment of the jaw. Some arch wires are made from titanium, stainless steel, or copper, but all are considered safe and won’t harm your teeth long-term.
The magic behind arch wires is that before they are installed, they are bent slightly. This means that as pressure is put on the teeth, the arch wires are forced to straighten out to their original shape. This promotes pressure from all sides but they may need to be reinstalled after a few months.
If you are interested in learning how braces can help and what they cost, check out Straight my Teeth. This UK-based dental company offers many alternative solutions to traditional braces to straighten teeth and guarantees a turnaround time of 4-6 months. A dental impression will be taken following an assessment and all finished products are delivered to your door.
Elastic
Elastic bands are only installed if more pressure or tension is needed to pull teeth in one particular direction. They are placed over the brackets and the role of these bands is to pull the bracket and arch wire even more.
Each of the elastics, brackets, and arch wires should be replaced every 4 to 8 weeks to ensure that sufficient pressure is being applied constantly and hasn’t come loose.
Buccal Tubing
This procedure requires some welding to install a small metal device with a tube onto the back molars of your mouth. A buccal tube has special slots where arch wires and brackets can be attached to give more strength to the braces.
The purpose of a buccal tube is to anchor the arch wires on either side of the mouth. In some cases, people need what is called a facebow which pulls the braces even further by wearing a device around your head. This is usually only needed in rare cases and is mostly worn at night.
Regular Dental Hygiene
Probably the worst part about getting braces, apart from some discomfort, is that it will be very difficult to brush or floss your teeth like you are used to. Although the braces are waterproof and designed to be around moisture, the toothbrush may not get to all the little places where food gets stuck.
To brush your teeth with braces, you need to move at a 45-degree angle and brush downwards from the top of the gums. A lot of mouth rinsing may also be involved. For flossing needs, consider a water flosser that shoots water between your teeth to dislodge any food. Flossing threaders are another option. Similar to normal floss, these thread around into a loop that can be pushed through small gaps in your teeth.
Teeth braces can be time-consuming to install and there will be some pain as your teeth start to straighten. The ends do justify the means though as, once you take those braces off, you may never stop smiling.