What are Braces?

Braces is a type of treatment that is done to align the teeth in proper position to improve esthetics and improve chewing efficiency. They consist of brackets, wires and bands. Elastics are used to hold the wire in the brackets.

What is adult dentition?

The first set of our teeth is the deciduous teeth and later on they are replaced by the permanent teeth. These permanent teeth stay for the entire life and are not going to be replaced. When all the permanent teeth take place of deciduous teeth, it is known as adult dentition.
This is the time when if teeth are not in proper alignment, braces treatment is indicated.
If teeth are not in alignment it can cause various problems like

1. Malaligned teeth affect the overall esthetics
2. Crowding can lead to more food lodgment, and thus more chances of caries.
3. It can lead to more plaque accumulation and thus periodontal problems and subsequently bad smell or halitosis.
4. It can affect chewing efficiency if the teeth don’t occlude properly.
Hence to avoid these problems, braces are indicated

At what age the braces treatment should be done?

In most of the cases, the ideal time to start the treatment is once the patient has adult dentition and there is no upper limit for the age.
In few cases it is also done when some deciduous teeth are still present to expand the jaws

What are the types of braces?

1. Metal braces
They contain metallic bracket, wire and elastics to hold the wire. Elastics can be of different color which can be chosen by the patient.

2. Ceramic braces
They contain tooth colored brackets, metallic wire and elastics. Sometimes the wire can also be tooth colored. So they are more esthetic and can be used by older aged individuals who do not want the braces treatment to be visible to others.

3. Self -ligating braces
They have different types of brackets which have shutter or lock kind of mechanism to hold the wire. They don’t need elastics. They are more convenient and give faster results.

4. Lingual braces
In this the brackets and wires are placed on the inner or lingual side, so they are not visible at all from the front. They cause slight trouble in speech.

5. Aligners
They are transparent plates that are to be worn. They don’t have brackets or wires. They are comfortable and easy to use. They are not visible and maintenance is very easy as patient can do normal brushing just like normal teeth.

How much time is required for the treatment?

There is no fixed time for the treatment. It varies from individual to individual and can range from 18-36 months.
The first appointment when the brackets are fixed requires time duration of 1-2 hrs. After that the subsequent appointments are short of 15-20 minutes.

Is the treatment painful?

The treatment is not painful at all. But as the wire moves the teeth, slight discomfort can be felt for few days after the wire activation

What are the precautions to be taken during the treatment?

1. You should brush twice a day
2. Use special ortho brush or water flosser to remove the food particles stuck around the brackets or else they will decay the teeth
3. Avoid very hard food like Pani Puri and sticky foods like chocolate, chikki, etc.
4. Avoid carbonate drinks.
Thus you can ask your dentist what braces treatment will be best for you if you have crooked or Malaligned teeth.