Looking at the Effectiveness and Results of Braces

Metal braces have been used to straighten teeth for over a century and remain an efficient way to straighten teeth. These oral appliances work by applying constant pressure on your teeth, slowly improving their alignment over 12 to 36 months. The appliance is fixed in your mouth after a dentist installs it, and it stays in throughout the treatment.

Braces have two main components: brackets that are cemented to each tooth on a dental arch and wires that are used to link the brackets. The tighter these wires are, the more force the appliance exerts on the patient’s teeth. Orthodontists typically adjust the tightness of the wires every four to six weeks during treatment.

What to expect when getting braces

A drawback associated with braces is the poor aesthetics. The appliance sticks out on the teeth and can lead to increased self-consciousness.

The aesthetics of braces have improved significantly in recent years. Ceramic braces can be used to treat many of the issues that metal braces are used for. They have the same components as metal braces, but the metal parts are swapped with tooth-colored ones, making it significantly harder to notice the appliance on a patient’s teeth. Clear aligners can also be used to straighten teeth, but these are not as effective at treating severe orthodontic issues caused by poor jaw positioning.

Braces are the only orthodontic appliances that can treat severe orthodontic issues caused by poor teeth or jaw positioning. Issues that braces can be used to fix include:

• Crossbites
• Overbites
• Underbites
• Overjets
• Spaces between teeth
• Crooked teeth

Orthodontists typically recommend braces for patients with severe orthodontic issues because they often lead to the best results. Treatment times are typically somewhere between 12 and 36 months.

The process

Depending on how closely spaced the patient’s teeth are, the dentist might put spacers between them about a week before installing the braces.

The orthodontist cleans the patient’s teeth before cementing the brackets on their teeth. Once their teeth are cleaned and dried, the orthodontist starts cementing brackets on the patient’s teeth with dental cement or glue.

Rubber bands are attacked to anchor the brackets down, and wires are used to link them. The tightness of the wires will be adjusted throughout the treatment to ensure the right amount of force is applied to the patient’s teeth.

The patient’s teeth should be properly aligned by the time the treatment is over. Most patients will have to wear a retainer afterward to keep their teeth in their new positions. Retainers are oral appliances that prevent teeth from reverting to their initial positions after teeth straightening treatments. They ensure patients get to keep their newly straightened smiles.