How do braces straighten crooked teeth?

Braces use constant, gentle pressure, which over time, move teeth into their proper positions. Your braces are at work every moment of your orthodontic treatment. The two main components of your braces are: the brackets that are placed on your teeth and the main archwire that connects them. The bracket is a piece of shaped metal or ceramic that we affix to each tooth. The archwire is bent to reflect your “ideal” bite. In other words, it reflects the way we want you to look after treatment.

The wire threads through the brackets and, as the wire tries to return to its original shape, it applies pressure to move your teeth. Picture your tooth resting in your jaw bone. With pressure on one side from the archwire, the bone on the other side gives way. The tooth moves. New bone grows in behind.

Attached to your braces, elastics (rubber bands) exert the proper force that creates the right amount of pressure to move teeth. In order for this force to remain constant, elastics must be worn all the time and changed every day.

Different Types of Braces

There are many ways to straighten your teeth. Conventional braces, which may be either metal or “clear” ceramic, rely on the use of heavy forces to move teeth. Heavy forces are often not ideal for healthy movement of teeth. Our office recommends the use of high-tech braces, which deliver light forces to the teeth. The advantages of high-tech braces areclude less discomfort, more esthetic smiles and more efficient tooth movement. These high-tech braces utilize revolutionary technology to provide the most efficient tooth movement with the least discomfort for our patients. The other option for straightening teeth is with invisalign. A series of clear aligners are used to reposition crooked teeth. Only minor alignment problems can be corrected with invisalign. We are an invisalign certified office and we would be happy to discuss if your orthodontic problem would qualify.
Translucent clear ceramic braces are the most popular with adults. You have to be very close to someone to be able to see them. Yet, because they are a ceramic material, they are more fragile.