Braces
Braces
Straighten Your Smile with Braces
Braces are orthodontic appliance used to straighten teeth and correct bite problems.
A set of braces is consists of bracket (which is square shaped metal or ceramic attachment that are bonded to teeth to hold arch wires), arch wire and auxiliaries such as elastic O-ring, ligature wire, button, orthodontic bone screw.
The braces work by a set of brackets transferring moving force from the arch wire to the teeth, gradually guiding them into a more aligned, functional and ideal position in the jaws.
In order to allow brackets to transfer force to the teeth, the brackets need to hold on the arch wire. The design of bracket decides the way the bracket holds the arch wire. They can be classified as conventional or self ligating type.
Conventional braces use colorful elastic O-ring or tiny metal wire to tie the arch wire to the bracket, whereas self-ligating braces use a built-in clip or door mechanism to hold the arch wire in place, and thus do not require colorful elastic O ring. One of the famous self-ligating braces brand is Damon.
Besides, braces can be classified by the material used to make the appliances: metal or ceramic.
A conventional braces can be made of metal or ceramic. Thus, there is conventional metal braces, conventional ceramic braces. Likewise, self ligating braces can be made of metal and ceramic material as well so they are metal and ceramic self ligating braces. On the other hand, lingual braces which is normally bonded to inner the teeth is usually made of metal material. Occasionally, some may call clear aligner as clear braces. The word “clear brace”’ can be confusing with ceramic braces as ceramic braces is clear color too! Therefore, it can be confusing for patients when come to making up their mind for type of braces they want.
The types of braces used during treatment differ in term of price, comfort, and aesthetic of teeth during treatment. However, they are no significant difference in term of treatment result and duration.
While not always necessary, teeth extractions may be required during braces treatment to create space for teeth alignment, retraction of teeth or to allow eruption of an impacted/embedded tooth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got Questions? We've got you.
Am I Too Old for Braces / Clear Aligner Treatment?
Surprisingly, there is no age limit for undergoing this treatment. Any teen/adult who has healthy teeth can have this treatment to correct their teeth misalignment problem.
