What are the Different Types of Braces?

Orthodontic therapy is not only beneficial to the aesthetics of your smile, but to the health of your smile as well. Crooked and overcrowded teeth harbor more bacteria which can lead to all sorts of problems in the future. Taking care to straighten your teeth now can save you trouble down the road.

Braces are the most common and most effective type of orthodontic treatment. They are safe and reliable and are now available in a variety of types. Some of these options include:

• Traditional metal braces: This is the most well-known type of orthodontic treatment. The only drawback to metal braces is that they are the most noticeable type of braces, though the brackets are smaller than they used to be. Metal brackets are cemented to each tooth and a metal archwire is threaded through the brackets. The archwire is held in place using bands that come in many colors and are changed at each adjustment. Children like the colored bands and like picking new ones each time! Metal braces are also the least costly option.
• Ceramic braces: This option is perhaps better suited to adults in the professional world who have more movement to be done than clear aligners would allow. Ceramic braces are just like metal braces in that they are another bracket and wire system. However, the brackets are fabricated from a clear ceramic material and the archwire is white. Instead of colored bands, clear ligatures are used to hold the archwire in place. While the ligatures can stain from food and drink, they are changed at each adjustment just like colored bands. Though they are a little more expensive, ceramic braces are much less noticeable than metal ones and can still be relied on to straighten more severe cases.
• Lingual braces: As with traditional metal braces and ceramic braces, lingual braces use a bracket and wire system but instead of the brackets being placed on the front of the tooth, they are placed on the back, or lingual, side of the tooth. These have the advantage of being completely unseen by others but they are not as common and are difficult to care for. Lingual braces have the added disadvantages of being harder to adjust, making the adjustment appointments longer and they are not ideal for severe cases of overcrowding and misalignment. They require a scan of your mouth before they can be fabricated in a dental lab which can take up to six weeks for your orthodontist to receive and begin your treatment.
• Clear aligner therapy: Invisalign is the most commonly known brand of clear aligners. Clear aligners are ideal for patients who do not have a great amount of movement to achieve. Your dentist may be able to provide you with clear aligner therapy which would keep you from having to find a good orthodontist. Impressions are taken of both the upper and lower arch and models are made from those impressions. The models along with photos of your teeth and of your facial structure are sent to the clear aligner lab and after a couple of weeks, your dentist will have your case back in their office and ready to begin treatment. You will wear the aligners, or trays, for 10 to 14 days at which point you will visit your dentist to receive the next set of trays and make sure everything is tracking properly. Clear aligners cost between $5000 and $6000 depending on the extent of treatment. While this is a high fee, they are virtually invisible and you do not have any restrictions in your diet. The drawback is that you have to wear the aligners for at least 20 to 22 hours per day and if you are not compliant, it will slow your treatment and progress. If you lose a tray, you will have to backtrack unless you lose one that was about to be changed which will also slow your progress and extend treatment time. Clear aligners are not suitable for severe cases of crowding. Invisalign does have newer products including Invisalign Teen and Invisalign Express, the latter of which caters to small cases that just need minor adjustments. Another clear aligner option is Clearcorrect which is the same technology as Invisalign but may be a little less costly.

Orthodontia is a great solution to many alignment issues. Speak with your dentist to determine if you are a candidate and would benefit from orthodontic treatment.