About Orthodontics
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Why Braces
A designer smile, customized for you to maximize your appearance and health will improve your self-confidence and self-esteem.
How Orthodontic Treatment Works
Tooth movement requires cellular changes in its surrounding bone in response to applied forces. By placing a constant, gentle force in a carefully controlled direction, braces slowly move a tooth to a corrected position. These forces are created and controlled primarily by prescription braces bonded to the teeth which are connected with specialized wires.
Types of Appliances to Move Teeth
You will benefit from the latest technological advances in the development of appliances and wires used to move teeth as well as all materials used during your treatment. Braces are made of metal or a tooth-colored synthetic crystalline material which are bonded to the teeth using the latest fluoride-releasing adhesive. Invisible, crystal-clear acrylic aligners which are removable may also be used. This is a great time to wear braces! Gone are the days when a metal band with a bracket was placed around each tooth. Many technological advances have increased the comfort and efficiency of orthodontic treatment. The bonded brackets are smaller and smoother for increased comfort and easier cleaning; the archwires that supply the moving forces to the teeth are lighter and made of high-tech alloys which provide more comfortable and more efficient forces. You can choose brackets that are silver-colored or tooth-colored. You can choose the color of the ties that hold the wire in the brackets.
Duration of Treatment
Treatment time typically ranges from twelve to thirty months, depending on the growth of the patient's mouth and face and the severity of the problem. Skeletal growth and tooth eruption rates vary for patient to patient as well as the rate of the cellular changes within the bone necessary for tooth movement. Patient compliance and cooperation is very important. We strive to create a partnership with each patient to make treatment proceed as efficiently and as comfortable as possible. We make every effort to proceed within the patient’s comfort level. For these reasons, the time to completion may differ from the original estimate. Interceptive, or early treatment procedures, may take as few as six months.
