Dental Braces | Orthodontics in Nairobi
What Are Braces?
Teeth Braces / Dental Braces are dental tools that help correct; crowding, crooked, or misaligned teeth. Most people get braces in their teenage years, but adults can get braces too. Braces slowly straighten and align your teeth.
If you have crooked teeth or a misaligned bite ( underbite or overbite), there are a variety of treatments that can help straighten your smile, including braces and retainers,custom-made, removable or fixed tools that cover the outside of your teeth and help keep them in position.
You might only need a removable retainer. If you have an extreme overbite or underbite, you could need surgery. But most people need braces.
Types of Braces
At Dental smiles General Dentistry for Kids/ Parents we strive to offer the widest possible variety of treatments to our clients. You can be confident that you’ll find a treatment option here that fits your dental needs, your preferences, and your lifestyle. These are the different types of braces that are available to you:
Traditional metal braces
Even though traditional metal braces have been around for a long time, they are far from outdated; in fact, they are more comfortable and effective than ever before. Metal braces use stainless-steel, brackets and wires to apply pressure to each individual tooth, gradually coaxing your teeth into a healthy alignment and giving you a perfect,bold and beautiful smile. In addition, rubber elastics connecting the upper and lower braces help correct the alignment of your jaws. If you want a personalized touch, the elastics can be switched out to give your smile a dash of color.
Self-ligating braces
Self-ligating braces are very similar to traditional braces in both design and function. The major difference between traditional and self-ligating braces is that self-ligating braces do not use elastics. Instead of elastics, self-ligating braces use special clips to maintain alignment. Since elastics require frequent replacement and adjustment, choosing self-ligating braces will mean less maintenance, fewer check-ups, and shorter visits to the dentist.
Ceramic braces
If you would prefer your braces to be less prominent, ceramics might be a great option for you. The use of ceramic material allows the brackets to be clear or matched to the natural color of your teeth. Ceramic braces are larger and more brittle than their metal counterparts, however, they may not be a great choice for very young patients. For teens and adults, on the other hand, they deliver excellent results.
Clear aligners
For those who want a truly invisible solution, clear aligners are the way to go. Removable plastic trays are placed on both rows of your teeth to straighten your smile. The trays are removed for eating, brushing, and flossing, meaning that they will not impact your daily activities as deeply as braces do.
How Do Braces Work?
Braces work by putting pressure on your teeth over a period of time to slowly move them in a specific direction. The jaw bone changes shape, too.
Braces are made up of these things:
- Brackets are the small squares that go on the front of each tooth. The dentist uses a special bonding agent or attaches them with orthodontic bands. Brackets act like handles, holding the arch wires that move your teeth. There are several types of brackets, including stainless steel and tooth-colored ceramic or plastic. Dentists use these a lot because they’re harder to see. Sometimes the dentist will cement brackets to the backs of your teeth, in order to hide them from view.
- Orthodontic bands are stainless steel, clear, or tooth-colored materials cemented to your teeth. They wrap around each tooth to provide an anchor for the brackets. The clear or tooth-colored bands look better, but they also cost more than stainless steel. Not everyone gets bands. Some people have only brackets and no bands.
- Spacers fit between your teeth to create a small space for the orthodontic bands.
- Arch wires attach to the brackets and act as tracks to guide the movement of your teeth. Some arch wires are made of metal. Others are clear or tooth-colored.
- Ties are small rubber rings or fine wires that fasten the arch wire to the brackets. They can be clear, metal, or colored.
- A buccal tube on the band of the last tooth holds the end of the arch wire securely in place.
- Tiny elastic rubber bands, called ligatures, hold the arch wires to the brackets.
- The orthodontist may place springs on the arch wires between brackets to push, pull, open, or close the spaces between your teeth.
- Elastics or rubber bands attach to hooks on the brackets. They go between your upper and lower teeth in various ways. They apply pressure to move your upper teeth against the lower teeth to achieve a perfect fit.
Another method of straightening teeth uses removable plastic retainers. This may also work if your teeth aren’t too crowded. Your orthodontist will discuss the various types of braces with you and figure out which option is best.
