The popularity of wearing braces seems to only increase over time. These days, even adults wear braces to improve their smile. Perhaps this is due to the variety of options available that cater to different budgets and lifestyles. With the advent of clear braces such as Invisalign, wearing braces has become accessible even to those who are concerned about their appearance.
Orthodontists are well aware that while braces can fix many bite and teeth problems, each type of dental brace may not be suitable for all. Specific dental issues will have a better chance of getting fixed by a specific kind of brace rather than another. Here are the different types of dental braces used today.
Brackets and wire
Conventional brackets and wire braces have come a long way. Various orthodontic supplies stores carry different types of brackets such as stainless steel, ceramic, and titanium. Brackets also come in a variety of colors such as gold, silver, or clear. For those on a budget, stainless steel is the cheapest option.
The wires that align and pull teeth together can be made from stainless or titanium alloy. If you are looking for wires that aren’t as obtrusive, they also come in teeth-colored varieties. There are also different systems used to hold the wires together, the most common being small elastic bands or wire ties.
An alternative method is through a self-ligating brace which consists of a spring-loaded door for accessing the brackets. A self-ligating brace is less obvious and comes in clear or silver versions.
Clear braces
There are several well-known brands of clear or invisible braces that are widely available in the market today. Perhaps the most popular is Invisalign. The goal of clear braces is to give adults an opportunity to get teeth-alignment without the unsightly appearance of wires and brackets.
The first step to any orthodontic treatment is getting a dental X-ray or 3D image of your teeth. Depending on how much movement is required to reach the desired alignment, moulds are designed for each step of the process.
Before choosing clear braces, you need to carefully consider the advice of your dentist because wearing then entails a different level of diligence.
Lingual brace
A lingual brace is a non-obtrusive teeth-alignment method where the brace itself is attached on the inner surface of the teeth. Compared with traditional wire braces, these are also more expensive and take a lot longer to adjust.
Short-term braces
For those who are in a hurry to get their teeth aligned, there are fast braces which consist of special wires and claim to work a lot faster than other traditional methods of teeth alignment. However, this method only works to fix the six main front teeth. Short-term braces cannot be used to fix bite problems. Short-term braces are also available through general dentists, so you don’t need to look for an orthodontist. But if you are looking for a faster way to straight teeth, there are other more effective methods recommended by orthodontists instead of fast braces.
Leave a Reply