Orthodontic Braces: Functional Principle, Benefits for Dental and General Health, Types, the Age-Related Issue
Nowadays, a ultra-white shiny smile is something more, than a sign of your dental health. It is also an indicator of its owner's social status, a guarantee of success and happiness not only in his private, but also in his professional life. Unfortunately, it is not always enough to have your teeth cleaned or whitened in order to make your smile look stunning. Often misaligned or crooked teeth easily bring your life to misery... But fortunately, the dental appliance called orthodontic braces can bring you back to life!
What are Orthodontic Braces and How Can They Help Me?
Orthodontic braces are the esthetic dental treatment appliances, designed to correct the misaligned teeth position and treat various kinds of malocclusion or bad bight syndrome. Their functioning principle is aimed at moving misaligned, crooked, crowded, missing or extra teeth into the proper anatomical position in order to create healthier and more attractive smile.
Orthodontic braces are used both in children and adult orthodontics. Even though, every orthodontic case is specific and individual, the American Dentists Association experts state that the most frequent orthodontic problems treated with the help of orthodontic braces are teeth misalignment or bad bight disorders for children and crooked or crowded teeth for the adult patients.
Are Orthodontic Braces Just the Matter of Creating a Beautiful Smile?
Please, note that the orthodontic braces are not dental appliances aimed just at creating a patient's smile beautiful appearance. First of all, crowed, misaligned, or crooked teeth are extremely difficult to take care of. If you cannot brush and floss your misaligned teeth properly, they become more prone to such dental disorders as gum disease and tooth decay, which might eventually lead to the affected tooth loss, if left untreated.
Secondly, your teeth positioning plays an important functional role, as it is closely related to your ability and manner to talk and chew thus, causing the digestion disorders. Thirdly, improperly aligned teeth enamel often wears out much more intensively, that the properly arranged teeth one, which is also associated with unnatural chewing pattern development.
And finally, if even the most basic orthodontic disorders get left untreated, they often develop into much more complex and complicated dental disorders, the correction and treatment of which will certainly take much more time and efforts. Also note that such common bad bight disorders as overbite and underbite might develop into major jaw problems over the time.
What are the Modern Types of Orthodontic Braces?
Nowadays there are three types of orthodontic braces available at the dental appliances market. The first one is traditional bands, which are introduced in the form of the metal bracket, adjusted to the metal bands, bonded around each tooth.
The second and the most popular orthodontic braces type is brackets. These small appliances get bonded to the front surface of each tooth and are traditionally made of stainless steel. But nowadays brackets are available in all the imaginable colors and in the number of materials. For example, the patients often choose the porcelain or plastic ones for esthetic reasons, as they look almost invisible, as they might be clear or imitate a natural tooth color. On the other hand, such brackets cause additional friction, when you eat or talk, which might prolong the treatment time.
The third and the most up-to-date type of orthodontic braces are lingual-type brackets, which are totally invisible for the side-viewers, as they get bonded to the back side of the patient's tooth. But the most hi-tech option is invisalign braces, which not only share the lingual-type brackets advantages, but also are removable, which adds the additional comfort during the treatment time.
At What Age is It Better to Start Wearing Orthodontic Braces?
Dentists and orthodontists generally recommend starting with orthodontic braces wearing as early as possible. The dental care experts usually state the age somewhere between the age of seven and eleven years. The thing is that it is much easier to correct the orthodontic irregularities in the early age. Also note that that, young patients are usually much more cooperative, than teenage patients. And finally, the orthodontic treatment for young children will take less time, than for adult patients.
Still, this does not mean that the orthodontic treatment is designed exclusively for children. The same benefits can be shared by adult patients; the process of orthodontic braces bonding, wearing, and the correction results achieved are the same at any age. The only "but" is that orthodontic corrections in adults will require longer treatment period and often need some additional dental procedures and appliances, apart from wearing the orthodontic braces.
So, orthodontic treatment is both available and beneficial to you at any age. Also remember that by holding your teeth properly aligned, orthodontic braces do more than just making your smile look stunning. They also contribute to your overall dental and general health. Be healthy and wealthy!
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