Braces are a fact of life for many people—according to a study done by Orthodontics.org, approximately 4 million people in the United States are under orthodontic care at any given time, and 80 percent of teenagers will wear braces. Braces can cause tooth pain, though it’s typically not severe and doesn’t last for very long.
What Are Braces For?
Braces help straighten crooked teeth, close gaps and spaces, and correct over-bites and under-bites. They’re typically worn by younger teenagers, but can be put on at any age. Depending on the severity of the correction, braces come in several different styles, including metal, clear, behind-the-teeth and “invisible.”
How Do Braces Work?
According to KidsHealth.org, standard braces straighten teeth with a combination of metal brackets, wires and rubber bands. Metal brackets are glued to the front of the teeth and then connected with a wire that helps move teeth side to side. Colored rings called litigating modules go around the brackets to hold the wires in place, and can be changed frequently to match outfits or for holidays. Rubber bands are used to move teeth forward and backward and can be stretched from front teeth back to molars, or from top teeth to bottom teeth.
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About Rubber Bands for Braces
/in All About Braces, Living With BracesOrthodontic braces perfect your smile by applying constant, steady pressure to move your teeth into proper position. The brackets and wires attached to your teeth are limited in the direction of the applied force, however. Some situations, particularly to correct bite problems, require the upper and lower rows of teeth to move relative to each other. Rubber bands, or elastics, hooked to the brackets apply tension in directions brackets and wires cannot achieve alone.
Purpose
Elastics apply constant pressure to align the teeth in a perfect bite, states the website Rubber Bands for Braces. The lower jaw must move relative to the upper teeth for proper alignment. Braces alone only move teeth along the upper or lower arch.
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Types of Braces for Teenagers
/in Do I Need Braces?, Teens & BracesBraces have come a long way since the days when big metal bands were connected to a wire in your mouth. Today, the wire is still there, but small metal or ceramic brackets have replaced the clunky bands. Another change is that many teens make a statement with their braces, according to Mamashealth.com. They often use school or holiday colors for their main wire or for attachments such as elastic ties and rubber bands.
Metal
Traditional stainless steel braces are often used because they’re less inexpensive than many of the newer alternatives, according to Safedentistry.co.uk. Archwired.com says most metal braces use ligatures, or elastic rubber bands, to connect the brackets to the main wire, called an arch wire. Other metal brackets don’t require the rubber bands and are known as “self-ligating.” Read more
Tooth Braces and Pain
/in Living With BracesBraces are a fact of life for many people—according to a study done by Orthodontics.org, approximately 4 million people in the United States are under orthodontic care at any given time, and 80 percent of teenagers will wear braces. Braces can cause tooth pain, though it’s typically not severe and doesn’t last for very long.
What Are Braces For?
Braces help straighten crooked teeth, close gaps and spaces, and correct over-bites and under-bites. They’re typically worn by younger teenagers, but can be put on at any age. Depending on the severity of the correction, braces come in several different styles, including metal, clear, behind-the-teeth and “invisible.”
How Do Braces Work?
According to KidsHealth.org, standard braces straighten teeth with a combination of metal brackets, wires and rubber bands. Metal brackets are glued to the front of the teeth and then connected with a wire that helps move teeth side to side. Colored rings called litigating modules go around the brackets to hold the wires in place, and can be changed frequently to match outfits or for holidays. Rubber bands are used to move teeth forward and backward and can be stretched from front teeth back to molars, or from top teeth to bottom teeth.
Read more
What are Orthodontic Spacers?
/in About Orthodontics, Living With BracesYour orthodontist may have told you that you need to have spacers before your braces go on. What does this mean?
Some of your teeth may need brackets that are attached to metal bands that go all the way around the tooth.* Usually, the bands are used only on molars. If the space between your molars is very tight, it will be difficult for the orthodontist to put the bands on the teeth. Therefore, space must be opened up to fit the bands in. This is where spacers come in.
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A Smile Makeover Can Help Boost Self-Confidence
/in Positive LivingProjecting a healthy, radiant smile can help boost self-confidence and lead to increased comfort and success in both personal and career-oriented situations. Yet, many people are unhappy with their less-than-pearly whites, causing them to avoid social interaction and even lose out on opportunities because they are too self-conscious.
Your dissatisfaction with the appearance of your teeth may also be causing you to stifle one of nature’s most endearing and intrinsic impulses, simply smiling!
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What Are the Different Methods of Teeth Whitening?
/in Teeth WhiteningBefore you consider teeth whitening methods, it’s important to understand how they work, in order to make an informed decision that best suites your teeth whitening needs. Choosing a whitening method for your teeth can be confusing and overwhelming, with so many teeth whitening products available on the market today. Over-the-counter or from your dentist, it is often challenging, deciding what teeth whitening option is best for your situation. Learn about the three methods used for teeth whitening, and decide which one will best suite your teeth whitening needs.
What is Professional In-Office Teeth Whitening?
Professional in-office teeth whitening is exactly that; professionally done by your dentist. Often regarded as the best option available for teeth whitening, because it is done in a controlled environment and is supervised by a dentist using a high concentration of Hydrogen Peroxide or Carbamide Peroxide . This method is perfect for someone that desires the optimum results in the shortest amount of time, since results are seen in as little as one hour. Although considered expensive and it is not typically covered under a dental insurance plan, the convenience and results achieved may prove worth the extra cost.
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Help! Did I Stain My Braces?
/in Caring For Your BracesOne of the most common questions we get on ArchWire’s Metal Mouth Forum involves ceramic brackets stained from foods, particularly curry. Well relax, your brackets are NOT stained. The brackets themselves are still white, but the elastic ligatures have become stained. The ligatures are those little rubber bands on each bracket that hold the arch wire in place.
Yes I know, the brackets look stained. But believe me, in most cases, it’s only the elastic ligatures. Really! And those get changed by your orthodontist every 4-6 weeks. So the next time you have an adjustment, the stained ligatures will be replaced with fresh new ones and your braces will look white and perfect again.
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Does Smoking Cause Stains on Teeth with Braces
/in Caring For Your Braces, Living With BracesWe all know that smoking cigarettes and tobacco can be extremely harmful to our health in a variety of different ways. Many people associate smoking with conditions that affect our lungs but they do not consider oral health is one of the major health concerns associated with smoking is well.
When people receive braces it’s very important that they continue to maintain their oral health as well as regularly attend dental visits for checkups in cleaning. If a person has braces and continues to smoke they also work to detriment their oral health even further and can risk severely staining their teeth and having them not recover their original clean and white exterior when orthodontic appliances have been removed.
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10 Tips for Healthy, White Teeth
/in Oral Hygiene, Tips & TricksNot only do your teeth help you talk and chew, they can make or break your appearance. Here are 10 secrets for keeping your pearly whites in tip-top shape.
1. Go on a white-teeth diet.
If you’re quaffing red wine and black tea, or smoking cigarettes or cigars, expect the results to show up as not-so-pearly whites. Other culprits to blame for dingy teeth include colas, gravies, and dark juices. Bottom line: If it’s dark before you put it in your mouth, it will probably stain your teeth. Brush immediately after eating or drinking foods that stain teeth and use a good bleaching agent, either over-the-counter or in the dentist’s office. For convenient teeth-cleaning action, eat an apple.
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4 Benefits of Using Mouthwash
/in General Care, Oral HygieneBrushing and flossing are the best ways to avoid oral health issues like gingivitis. If you add mouthwash into the equation you’re set for success. Mouthwash is an effective tool in the fight against tooth decay, gingivitis, as well as the promotion of healthy teeth and gums. Here are just a couple benefits from using mouthwash.
1) Freshens breath – First and foremost, and most obviously, mouthwash temporarily reduces bad breath. With a variety of flavours to choose from, mouthwash kills bacteria associated with causing bad breath leaving you with minty fresh breath.
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