Many individuals, especially during their teen years, require dental braces to remedy misaligned, overcrowded or overlapping teeth. This does not, however, mean that if you are in your 20s, 30s or 40s, you won't require braces. If you are one of these individuals, you need to understand a few important things:
Why Do Your Misaligned Teeth Need to Be Corrected?
Alignment is done to help you chew food better without biting on your cheeks, tongue or gum, retain a lovely/beautiful smile and make your pronunciation and speech better. This shows you that teeth have several uses apart from the obvious chewing of food.
The Different Types of Braces
To understand why different types of braces exist and why you might require one type over another, note the following:
Traditional metal braces
They are the cheapest and comprise metal brackets that are attached to the surface of each tooth. A metallic wire is then threaded through the brackets; its work is to help pull your teeth to the right position, which explains why it becomes loose over time and needs to be tightened.
Traditional metal braces are suitable for the majority of misaligned teeth cases. However, some individuals might not like the taste of metal or the facial appearance that metallic braces give them. These are two reasons that explain why you will come across other types of braces.
Lingual braces
These resemble traditional metal braces in appearance and material composition. The difference lies in the application; lingual braces are attached to the back surface of your teeth. This may be because your dental condition will be treated better by such placement or you feel like having traditional metal braces might affect your appearance.
Porcelain or ceramic braces
If you dislike the taste of metal, the two options above may not be suitable for you. Consider porcelain or ceramic braces that resemble traditional metal braces in appearance but not in material composition. The brackets, in this case, are made from porcelain or ceramic while the metallic wire is coated. This serves two purposes: to make the braces aesthetically pleasing and to prevent you from having a metal taste in your mouth constantly.
Invisalign and ClearCorrect
These braces are unique in that you can take them out of your mouth freely; your dentist may, however, insist that you wear them for at least 22 hours a day for effective results. They are made to resemble mouthguards, which means that if they become loose, tightening is not possible; you need new braces made, meaning they can be expensive.
Contact a dentist or orthodontist who provides braces in your area to learn more.
Share6 January 2021
As a retired dentist, I work with charities which visit developing countries and educate children about dental care. It gives me great satisfaction to revisit these communities and see how proud the children are of their efforts. I am acutely aware that good dental hygiene can help prevent a range of serious conditions when these children become older. I started this blog because it greatly distresses me that many people in Australia do not seem to care for their teeth as much as children in these poor communities. This is happening despite ready access to items like toothbrushes and toothpaste which are luxuries in the places I visit. It is my hope that this blog encourages you not to take dental health for granted. My greatest wish is that you can be as inspired as the children I see in my charity work. Please read on and enjoy.
