What are braces?

Dental braces, which are actually more commonly referred to as orthodontic braces, are worn on your teeth to align your teeth and to help correct jaw alignment issues. The braces are made up of brackets which are actually glued to your teeth and arch wires which are threaded through the brackets, With braces the arch wires are adjusted on a regular basis, the regular basis is determined by your orthodontist, and what happens is the arch wires are adjusted and that causes your teeth to move into alignment. Many people might wonder why having your teeth properly aligned is important, many people tend to think that it is just a cosmetic adjustment, but in fact the proper alignment of your teeth is actually very important to your health, not just your looks.

Types of orthodontic braces

It used to be that there was only one style of braces that were available for you to choose from, but today there are numerous types of braces that you can choose from. The type of braces that you are going to choose is going to depend on your dental insurance and whether or not you care if your braces are noticeable. Not to mention the fact that your orthodontist is going to have an opinion as to what style of braces will work best for your dental needs. The three main styles of braces today are metal braces, ceramic braces, and clear plastic braces.

• Metal braces – these are actually called Damon brackets and most orthodontists today actually prefer to use these metal brackets. The reason for this is that the Damon brackets allow for the arch wire to slide back and forth inside the bracket. This actually causes less friction, not to mention the fact that it is more comfortable for the patient. The metal brackets also reduce the orthodontic treatment times because they require fewer adjustments. This style of braces also requires the use of small rubber bands to help in the alignment of your teeth. Basically what happens is that the rubber bands are attached at two locations on your braces and the rubber bands will pull your teeth to move them. And these metal braces are always recommended for people who need to have extensive orthodontic work done.
• Ceramic braces – these types of brackets are actually tooth colored. And because of their tooth color they are less noticeable, which means that they are usually used with adults who are trying to avoid the “metal mouth” look of traditional braces.

• Plastic braces – this style of braces can actually include two types of braces. The first choice you have is the clear brackets with the traditional arch wires or you can also choose the newer Invisalign System. The new system allows the user to wear trays to straighten their teeth and the best part is that the trays are pretty much unnoticeable.

What is headgear?

Some people in addition to wearing braces have to wear something called head or neck gear. This is usually required if your tooth alignment needs more work than what braces alone can do. But basically what happens is that this type of gear is attached to your braces through wires. Most people who have to wear head or neck gear only have to wear it at night or when they are at home in the evening, but in really extreme cases people have to wear it all day and all night.

Life with braces

One thing that you need to know about wearing braces is that the braces actually act like a magnet for food. So what you are going to need to do is to keep your teeth especially clean when you are wearing them, this is going to mean brushing your teeth right after you eat even if you are at school. You will also want to make sure that you remove any food that gets stuck in your braces. In order to floss with braces you are going to need to get a special flosser from your orthodontist. You will also want to ask your orthodontist for a quick floss when they change your wires.

Every once in awhile you might notice that a wire is loose or even a bracket is loose, you might even feel like a wire is poking you. In these cases you are going to want to see your orthodontist right away to get the problem fixed. But if they can’t find a problem they will probably give you some soft wax that you can apply to the bracket that is bothering you, this will prevent it from rubbing against your mouth.

After the braces come off

Once your orthodontist removes your braces you would think that your teeth are perfectly aligned and that you are not going to need any more treatment. But the truth of the matter is that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done, otherwise the braces will have been for nothing. Once the orthodontist takes off your braces they are going to make you some retainers. Retainers are an orthodontic appliance that is made from plastic and a stainless steel wire. The retainers are designed to hold your teeth in place once your braces have been removed. You are going to need to continue to wear your retainer until the gums and jaw bone have adjusted to your new tooth alignment, in most cases orthodontists recommend that you wear a retainer for about five years after your braces are removed.

Braces and dental insurance

One thing that makes braces a hard thing to stomach is the fact that not very many dental insurance plans will cover orthodontic work; most dental insurance plans will only cover dental work, such as fillings, caps, crowns, etc. But the good news is that there are quite a few dental discount plans that will help you to pay for the braces and other orthodontic work. But before you sign up for a dental discount plan you should contact your orthodontist to see which plans they accept or before choosing an orthodontist be sure to call and see if they accept your discount plan.

How much do braces cost?

With braces there is no way to tell for sure how much they are going to cost you. A lot of what goes into figuring the cost of the braces is the style of braces that you choose, how much orthodontic work needs to be done, and a few other factors. Obviously the metal braces are going to be cheaper than the cosmetic braces and if you need to have a lot of work done on your mouth, the more extensive the work, the more it is going to end up costing you in the long run. But for the most part the cost of having braces can range between $1,500 and $6,000, which means having some kind of dental insurance or discount plan is going to be very helpful. One great thing about orthodontists is that for the most part they tend to offer free consultation appointments, which means you will not have to pay to get their opinion on whether you or your child will need braces. They usually only begin to charge you once the actual work has started, meaning once they have applied the braces or begun the process for applying the braces.

When will you know if you need braces?

When it comes to braces your dentist will be able to tell you at a very early age if you are going to be a candidate for braces. If your dentist thinks you might need braces they will end up referring you to an orthodontist before you turn seven years old, in most cases. The reason that they refer you to an orthodontist at such a young age is because then the orthodontist can make recommendations as to when braces might need to be applied to the teeth and how extensive the work might be. But for the most part the orthodontist will not apply the actual braces until your child is in their teenage years; most of the reasoning behind this is that they need to lose their baby teeth before the braces will do any good.

How long will you need to wear braces for?

There is no real answer to this question because the answer is going to vary greatly depending on each individual person and their own dental needs. But on average you can expect to wear your braces from 18 months to as long as 36 months. But even after you have gotten the braces off you are still going to need to wear a retainer for at least the next five years, if not longer. But the good news is that the technology that is being used today to help straighten teeth has actually come a long way from the technology that was used in the last 20 years, which means the amount of time you have to wear your braces and the retainers has been reduced. But the best part is that the entire orthodontic treatment is less painful in general, in addition to being quicker.