Braces

Braces are the most common appliance used in orthodontic treatment. Fortunately, they have come a long way. Basically, braces have two parts: brackets and wires. Wires move the teeth; brackets serve as stationary handles to hold the wires. As needed for an individual’s treatment, other components can be added.

Contemporary braces can be:

• Stainless steel
• Gold-colored
• Tooth-colored ceramic

Brackets are affixed directly to teeth. Wires are threaded through slots in the brackets. Most braces go on the front of the teeth. Sometimes braces can be put on the backs of teeth – these are called “lingual” braces. These are virtually invisible. Not all orthodontists offer this form of treatment, and not all kinds of orthodontic problems can be successfully treated with lingual braces. The wires on some braces are held in place by tiny rubber bands (“ligatures”) and come in a huge assortment of colors. Other braces are “self-ligating” – they do not require ligatures to hold the wires in place.

People sometimes call clear aligners “invisible braces.” They are made of a transparent plastic-like material. They are made to fit the patient’s teeth at different stages of their treatment. Each set of aligners is worn for 1-3 weeks, at least 22 hours a day, before moving on to the next set. Each set is engineered to move the teeth incrementally, per the orthodontist’s treatment plan, until the desired alignment is reached. Tooth-colored attachments on the teeth will help aligners move teeth properly. Some, but not all, kinds of orthodontic problems can be successfully treated with clear aligners.