Fun braces and alternatives to braces

Everyone wants to have great-looking teeth, but sometimes we need a little help to get the kind of straight, beautiful teeth that give us confidence and a winning smile. Still, no one should be shy about wearing braces. Tom Cruise, for instance, proudly wore fixed braces during his adult life and has one of the most recognisable celebrity smiles on the planet!

 

Braces work by applying pressure to the teeth and gradually moving them — by up to one millimetre every month — during treatment. They were invented in the mid-18th century by French physician and the “Father of Modern Dentistry,” Pierre Fauchard. Fauchard treated dental deformities in Paris in pre-revolutionary France, and his work was later developed by the “Father of Orthodontics,” J. N. Farrar. Farrar was very good at designing brace appliances and was the first to suggest the use of mild force at timed intervals to move teeth.

 

American dentist Edward Angle designed several fixed orthodontic appliance systems in the 19th century, including the ribbon arch and the edgewise appliance, which has evolved into the sophisticated pre-adjusted and self-ligating systems used by the great majority of orthodontists today.

 

There are several kinds of braces used to straighten teeth today, the most common of which is the fixed brace, which must be worn permanently during treatment.

 

A fixed brace involves cementing a tiny bracket to the surface of each tooth and curing it with light for a few seconds until the cement hardens. An archwire is then threaded through the brackets and fixed with metal or elastic ligatures. A fixed brace is usually worn for six months to a year, at which point the archwire, brackets and cement are all removed. A retainer (removable brace) may then be worn for a few months to keep the teeth in place.

While fixed braces usually come in silver-coloured metal, it is also possible to have clear ceramic plates, gold, sapphire or even multicoloured blocks fitted. These can be changed each time you go to the dentist to suit your current taste in colour. Specialist dentists can even fit braces that glow in the dark, which are reportedly becoming increasingly popular among children!

 

Retainers — removable braces that are made of wire — are often worn after treatment to hold the teeth in place and to stop them shifting back to their original position. In some cases, head braces also need to be worn to help correct the positioning of the teeth, but this is usually only necessary at night.

 

For people who prefer not to show their braces, special fittings can be placed on the inner side of the teeth, so that they are not outwardly visible. These are called lingual braces and are worn like a fixed brace. Alternatively, invisible braces can be made. Moulded from plastic resin, the series of clear custom-fabricated aligners are designed to gradually and sequentially move teeth to their desired positions. The aligners are completely transparent and more difficult to reach, making them particularly popular among adults who want to straighten their teeth without the look of metal braces. They are marketed as being more comfortable than classic fixed braces and can be removed for eating and cleaning. However, research suggests that aligners are not quite as efficient as fixed braces at straightening teeth because of their removable nature.

 

Several clear moulds are created during the straightening process and must be changed every two weeks as the teeth change position. Given its more prohibitive pricing, this method of straightening teeth is not an option available to everyone.

 

With so many choices now available, getting wonderfully straight teeth is much less of a trial than it once was.