Orthodontic treatment
Procedure involved
Dealing with Pain and Discomfort

Your smile is the most striking part of your face and for that having straight teeth is important.Teeth that are crooked or out of place (misaligned) affect the way a person chews and talks and how their smile looks. Because they have unnatural spaces, crooked teeth are harder to clean and are more likely to have cavities. In some cases, crooked teeth can affect the way the jaws line up and can cause pain and discomfort.

Orthodontic treatment:

One method to correct this is to have Orthodontic treatment (or braces and retainers). Orthodontic treatment works by exerting a gentle pressure over time to straighten teeth that are growing, or have already grown, out of place. Moreover, Braces improve your Health

You will be able to chew your food better:

Chewing is the first step in digestion. If your teeth are not straight, you will not be able to chew your food correctly so partially unchewed food will go down to your stomach. That can give you an upset stomach
You will avoid dental problems: If you do not get orthodontic treatment when you need it you will have problems with your teeth for years to come; your teeth will be hard to clean. Your gums will hurt. Your teeth will wear in ways that they should not. The effects are significant enough that many adults are now going back to the orthodontist for braces.

You may avoid developing a breathing problem:

As you get older the roof your mouth can sometimes partially block the air passages in your nose. That makes you snore loudly, and may contribute to a condition called "sleep apnea". If you get braces you can avoid this possibility.

Braces have three basic parts:

1. Brackets: these are attached to each tooth.
2. Bonding or band: the material that attaches the bracket to the tooth.
3. Arch wire: a thin metal wire that runs from bracket to bracket.

Braces have come a long way from the “train track” look of years ago. Today, many orthodontic patients can get braces that attach to the backs of the teeth, or use transparent brackets.

 

A retainer is a custom-made, removable appliance that helps keep teeth in their new, straightened position after braces have been removed. Retainers can also be used to treat more minor orthodontic problems.

The Procedure involved:

It takes several appointments for your orthodontist to put on braces.

After the initial examination the doctor will ask for a few x-rays to be taken (like a cephalogram or a bite-wing). The impressions of the upper and lower teeth are made next.

The orthodontist will install "separators" between the teeth in the back of your mouth. The separators could either be little springs, or little plastic pieces to create space for bands on your back teeth. You usually leave the separators on for a week or two, and then come back to the orthodontist’s office to have your braces put on.

The first step on the next appointment is getting your teeth ready for the bands. The orthodontist will remove the separators from your mouth and polish your teeth until your teeth are perfectly clean. It takes a few minutes, but it needs to be done carefully, so that you do not get any cavities under your bands.

Once your teeth are clean, the orthodontist will measure your teeth and try to determine what size bands you need. Bands, though, are like shoes. It usually takes several tries before the orthodontist finds a band which exactly fits your teeth. Do not worry though. Bands come in 50 different sizes, so there is sure to be one which fits.

Next the orthodontist will attach the bands to your teeth. First, your teeth must be dried completely. The orthodontist will place cotton rolls on both sides of your teeth. They will also put a tube into your mouth which looks like a straw. The tube is attached to a small wet-dry vacuum to suck up all of the liquid from your mouth.

Next the orthodontist will put some special cement onto the band and push the band onto your tooth. The orthodontist will usually ask you to help him get the band on, by you biting down on a special "bite stick" to help push the band on the tooth.

The orthodontist will repeat this process until they have installed bands on four of your teeth. Then you will be asked to bite down on cotton rolls for approximately 5 to 10 minutes to hold the bands in place until the cement hardens.

The next part of the process is called "bonding". In bonding, the orthodontist attaches little "brackets" to your teeth. The brackets are used to hold the wires onto your teeth.

First big plastic things, called cheek retractors are used to draw back your lips.Then your teeth are dried and a tube like a straw is put in your mouth to remove all of the liquid from your mouth. Once, your teeth are perfectly dry, a liquid called "etchant" is placed on the teeth for 30 to 60 seconds. The teeth are then rinsed and dried.

Next the orthodontist uses a special glue to attach the brackets to your teeth. Most orthodontists use special glue called "light cure" which only hardens under ultraviolet light. It usually takes the orthodontist about an hour to attach all of the brackets to your teeth. The light cure hardens in about a minute, so it will not be sticky in your mouth.

Do not be afraid of this part of the procedure. Your cheeks sometimes get a little uncomfortable from the cheek retractor, but the bonding process should not hurt.

You orthodontist then sticks the wires through the buccal tubes on the bands at the back of your mouth, pulls them tight, cuts off the end of the wire, and then uses little rings called "ligating modules" to hold the wires into the brackets. And its done!

Dealing with Pain and Discomfort

Your mouth will hurt for your first week in braces. You should be careful about what you eat. You need to only eat softer foods and to be very careful with your mouth.

After about a month, you will begin to feel more comfortable with your braces. However, there will still be times when, seemingly out of the blue, your teeth hurt or your gums get sore. Also, after your monthly adjustments, your teeth might hurt for a few days, or up to a week. Keep some pain killer in your purse, briefcase, or car for these times. You also may often bite the insides of your cheeks when you're getting used to your braces. Fortunately, this heals quickly (in about a week) and builds up some scar tissue, which is less sensitive.

After you have had braces for more than 6 months, your teeth get used to the extra pressure. At this point, an adjustment might not hurt at all, but usually your teeth feel sore for about a week afterwards. For some people, the teeth don't feel sore again until the next adjustment. But for others, the pain dissipates for a week or two and then a week before the next adjustment; your teeth may be sore again

The cell regeneration process occurs after an adjustment. Your teeth are under force and move. This causes some cells (bone, tissue) to break down and new cells to regenerate. After the regeneration takes place the teeth and supporting structures begin giving and moving again and the cycle continues. This is why most orthodontists see patients every 4-5 weeks. The cell regeneration process typically takes about 3 weeks and that gives patients enough time after an adjustment to be ready for another one.

Because today's wires move teeth slowly over a long period of time, the whole cell regeneration doesn't stop/go/stop/go as it used to with older style wires, now it just moves your teeth continually. Movement continues until the wire is fully back to the original size and shape, at which time you are ready for a stiffer and larger arch wire.

Canker sores are particularly nasty when you have braces. If you get a canker sore near the metal hooks, it really hurts. Your orthodontist will prescribe you a gel to be applied to the area several times a day to relieve the pain.

 

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