Dental braces are something that benefits your teeth if you have too much spacing between them. Many adolescents, teenagers, and even some adults get braces every year. If you suspect you may want to get braces or a dentist has suggested them to you, it’s a good idea to know the process of how they work.
How Braces Fix Your Smile
Dental braces exert pressure on your teeth over an extended length of time. This is how they can successfully move them as your jaw shape adapts to conform. Under the gum line, there’s a membrane surrounding your bones that roots your teeth in place along your jaw. The membrane positions your teeth and this is what responds to the pressure from your braces.
You should know that it typically won’t hurt during your appointment when you’re initially having your braces applied to your teeth. The appointment for this installation will take around one to two hours. You might have some soreness during the first week since you’ll need to adjust to having this change. You may need to have some adjustments to your braces and each time this happens, you may experience soreness.
Brackets Are Placed
First, your teeth are cleaned and then dried. The orthodontist will apply either stainless steel, ceramic, or plastic brackets to your teeth with glue. This may be uncomfortable but shouldn’t be painful. They will have copper titanium, stainless steel, or nickel-titanium wires that connect them. Once they’re all on, elastic bands known as ligatures are placed around the brackets.
Your orthodontist may decide to put spacers that are made of metal rings or rubber bands between your molars while you’re at an appointment. The spacers are only used for about a week or two. They push your jaw forward since they add space at the back of your mouth and can make room for braces if it’s too tight at the back of your mouth.
Archwires are used to connect the brackets. They cause pressure to be applied to your teeth so that they move into place more. Coil springs may be put on the archwires so that pressure is applied between two teeth as they are pressed apart and this adds space. Your orthodontist may decide to place buccal tubes (metal parts) to a molar so that it anchors parts of your braces together in the back of your mouth.
If you’re new to the idea of braces and think they would benefit your teeth and smile, you’d do well to reach out to a Denver Orthodontist today.
