Braces
Ceramic or clear braces provide more esthetic alternative to the traditional metal braces. Ceramic braces are more prone to fracture than metal, but this has improved significantly in recent years.
Ceramic braces provide an excellent choice for greater esthetics, however, the following points should be considered:
First, clear braces are more prone to breakage and fracture than metal braces. Therefore, even greater care must be taken to avoid hard/sticky foods and activities that may damage the braces. This problem has been reduced in recent years with the development of better and stronger brackets.
Second, in some instances where more force or torque is required to move teeth, the ceramic brackets sometimes break easier unable to withstand the amount of force needed to move the teeth. Sometimes they have to be replaced with metal brackets during the treatment.
Third, an average ceramic bracket is bigger than an average metal bracket. This may require an additional adjustment time for the patient after the placement of brackets.
And finally, ceramic material or porcelain can wear away enamel if teeth are allowed to contact the brackets when biting. Therefore, ceramic braces on lower teeth may not be recommended in some patients that have deeper bites. In those cases placing ceramic braces on the upper teeth and metal braces on the lower teeth will reduce the possibility of enamel wear, and generally will not adversely affect the esthetic value of the clear braces (most people do not show their lower teeth very much when they smile).
Headgear and Facemask
The headgear is a removable appliance that is mostly used to help with the growth of the lower jaw and can also move back the teeth of the upper jaw.
The facemask is also a removable appliance. It used to help with growth of the upper jaw.
The children can benefit the most by using a headgear or a facemask if they are from 7 to 11 years old.
Inter-arch Elastics
Rubber bands, or elastics, are generally used to help improve how teeth fit together. They are also often used to help close spaces, or make sure spaces are closing in the right direction, and improve cross-bites and midlines.
They are simply small rubber bands that are attached to the braces. They are attached by the patient to little hooks that are a part of the braces. Since they need to be placed by the patient, cooperation with instructions for wear is critical to make progress and achieve a good outcome.
There are many different types and sizes of elastics.
Invisalign
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