Orthodontics, or braces as a lot of people know it to be, is a field of dentistry that is involved with the moving of teeth, realigning them to proper positions and ultimately correcting the bite of patients. Here in this post, I’ll give a brief explanation on orthodontics, and why us dental surgeons recommend braces as part of the treatment plan.

Conventional braces can move teeth, generally by applying continuous light forces on the teeth, by means of attaching brackets (metal or ceramic) onto specific locations of the tooth, attaching a wire throughout all the brackets and securing them with elastics (multiple choice of colours). The wire itself creates the pressure and continuous force that helps to move the teeth.

Every 4-6 weeks, your dentist would need to review the movements, change the elastics, and maybe change the wires according to the stage required. Since it’s a slow, light and continuous pressure, the treatment of braces almost always take more than a year to complete. This is to ensure that there would not be any detrimental effects to the teeth, the bone and the gums of the patient.

Why would we recommend getting braces?

1. To realign your teeth to optimum positions and proper alignment
   • Helps in function of chewing and speaking
   • Easier cleaning and maintenance
   • Better oral health and less periodontal issues/problems
   • For better aesthetics
2. To create space
   • Sometimes space is needed for implant placement
   • To relieve and allow movement of impacted teeth
3. To correct bite disorders
   • Some bite and traumatic occlusion can bring about bad effects on the periodontium (structures that hold the teeth ie. bone, gums) in the future
   • To allow proper function
   • To increase aesthetic features and achieve acceptable facial aesthetics
4. Minimal invasive (except if extraction is required)
   • Unlike crowns and bridges, there literally is no preparation done on the natural teeth
   • Bonding the brackets does not involve any sort of preparation.
   • Going through braces first, allows full use of natural teeth before supplementing the treatment plan to prosthesis (crowns, bridges, dentures)

In our clinic we offer more than just normal conventional type of braces, there are also self-ligating types (Damon), ceramic braces and the newest addition of clear aligners.

Check out the next post for a further explanation of the different types of braces our clinic offers, what to expect when wearing braces and what kind of oral care will patients need to adopt when going through orthodontic treatment.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions on braces, orthodontics, and dentistry as a whole at shanaz@story.drfauziah.com