Orthodontics

Orthodontics

There is only one good, biological way to correct crooked teeth, and that is with Orthodontic treatment, with braces. In its simplest form a dental brace consists of brackets, small entities bonded (glued) to the teeth. The brackets are connected to a wire along which the teeth are being moved.

The advantages of using braces to correct crooked teeth are:

  • It gives the healthiest result.
  • Once the Orthodontic treatment has been done, there is no maintenance needed.
  • In order to minimize the risk for a relapse, once the teeth have been straightened, a very thin metal wire (retainer) is bonded (glued) behind the front teeth in each jaw that has been treated.

A possible disadvantage with having Orthodontic treatment (wearing dental braces) is the time factor. In general, one can say that the more crooked your teeth are the longer time is needed to properly align the teeth. Also, in general, Orthodontic treatment takes somewhat longer in adults, because the jaw bone is harder (more mineralized).

Although today it is much more common to see adults with braces, there are still those who hesitate for pure aesthetic reasons. If that is the case, the Orthodontist can use a wire covered with white plastic. The Orthodontist can also use gold plated brackets or porcelain (ceramic) brackets.

For those who would like to have Orthodontic treatment but would never consider more conventional braces, there is a system called Invisalign®.

Once it has been decided that you are a candidate for the Invisalign® system, a very exact impression is taken of each jaw. From the resulting models, a computer program produces a series of so called aligners, made of very thin but stiff, transparent plastic. These aligners fit snugly over your teeth and are comfortable. The number of aligners could be as many as 20-35 for each jaw. Each aligner moves the teeth little by little. Normally, each aligner is used for two weeks, after which the next aligner in the series is used. The aligners have to be used day and night, except when eating and when the teeth are being cleaned. During the treatment, you will notice a gradual movement of your teeth until an even and healthy smile has been achieved. A drawback with Invisalign® is that it cannot be used in more complex Orthodontic cases.