How Do Braces Work?

It’s likely that you understand why braces work and who is the right candidate for braces, but do you know how braces work?

Braces are an extremely effective orthodontic treatment for straightening the smile and correcting bite misalignments.

All types of affordable braces (traditional metal braces and Invisalign®) work generally the same. They use gentle but consistent pressure to shift the teeth into an ideal position over time.

Traditional, metal braces use metal bands, brackets, archwires and rubber bands to correct your teeth. Thick metal bands surround your back molars to hold your braces in place, and metal brackets are bonded, or cemented to each tooth (depending on your treatment plan). A longer archwire runs through the brackets on your top teeth, and another archwire runs through your bottom teeth brackets. We place small, colored (or clear) rubber bands around each bracket to anchor the archwires in place.

Every 6 to 8 weeks, you’ll visit our office to have your braces tightened. This is when we’ll monitor your progress to be sure that your treatment plan is working effectively and efficiently. If we see that something is not working, or your teeth require some additional enforcement, this is when we may suggest an orthodontic appliance to be worn with your braces. With every visit to our orthodontist office to tighten your braces, we will remove your rubber bands and replace your archwires with new ones. Gradually but surely, your teeth will shift into an ideal alignment!

Invisalign clear aligners use a series of flexible, sturdy, plastic trays to correct your smile. Using our highly-advanced, quick and comfortable iTero Intraoral Scanner, we receive accurate 3-D digital models of your teeth, jaws and bite. With these precise 3-D models, we create aligners that are customized to the exact structure of your teeth and bite.

For 20 to 22 hours each day (and night), you’ll keep your aligners in your mouth. Every 1 to 2 weeks, you’ll wear a new set of refitted aligners to replace your previous set. Each set of Invisalign aligners is customized to gradually shift your teeth one step closer to your goal. Depending on your treatment plan, you may visit our office every 10 to 12 weeks so we can assess your progress and assure that your treatment is going according to plan.

Your personalized treatment plan is arguably the most integral part of your orthodontic treatment! Your goals and current orthodontic condition must be considered for your treatment to be as effective and smooth as possible. This is where the “customized” aspect of your treatment plan comes into play! Without a personalized treatment plan, you only have a one-size-fits-all treatment, which can cause irreversible damage to your smile.

As your treatment progresses, our orthodontists will continue to monitor your growth and make adjustments to your plan if necessary.

At Just for Grins Orthodontics, we will always keep your smile goals and preferences in mind! We understand that each of our patients has a different financial circumstance, so we provide affordable orthodontics for adults, teens and kids!