There are many different types of braces for teeth available for orthodontic treatment. When it comes to straightening your teeth, there is no perfect solution as each type has their own advantages and disadvantages. Below, we discuss the many different types of metal braces, plastic (resin) braces, aligners, and what each one of these technologies offer.
When people think of bracket braces or silver braces, this is what they are usually thinking. Otherwise known as Edgewise braces, traditional metal braces are the most common type of braces in use today. They are particularly known for their durability and the ability to treat all orthodontic cases, including the most severe. Edgewise braces have utilized the same fundamental design since it was first developed in 1928.
Edgewise / traditional metal braces consist of an archwire and brackets. Each bracket has a rectangular slot. Once the brackets are placed on each tooth with a special adhesive, the archwire is placed into the rectangular slot of the brackets. To keep the wire from popping out of the slot, o-rings (commonly referred to as “rubber bands”) are used.
Edgewise / traditional metal braces straighten teeth by using a mechanical process orthodontists refer to as deflection. Deflection sounds complicated, but tooth deflection is not all that different than a trampoline.
When no one is jumping on a trampoline, it is “at rest.” In this position, no forces are acting on the trampoline. As soon as someone jumps on the trampoline, the weight of the person puts force on the springs of the trampoline, which bends, and then launches the person up with the stored force in the springs.
With the Edgewise system, think of the archwire as a trampoline. As the archwire is bent into place within the slots of each bracket, the wire pushes back like a trampoline. This force is called springback.
Springback is the force a wire places on the teeth as the wire returns to its “at rest” position. The wire slowly but surely returns to the at rest position, applying force to the teeth along the way and straightening them into the desired position.
For more information on how Edgewise wire deflection works, please see this study by clicking - Maximum Forces and Deflections From Orthodontic Appliances
Self-ligating braces are a different kind of metal bracket that uses the same fundamental design as all Edgewise / traditional metal braces, but the main difference is that self-ligating braces do not require o-rings / ligature ties to hold the archwire in all of the bracket slots.
Instead of having o-rings, self-ligating braces use small self-contained clips that slide over the archwire. These clips can affect the archwire in two different ways:
Clear aligners are a series of trays that move teeth into position, similar to braces. Aligners are removable, allowing patients to eat and drink as they normally would.
Aligners are more comfortable to the cheeks and lips as they have no metal braces that might irritate the mouth, but, aligners are the most painful of all types of braces. When placed on the teeth, aligners rely on the limited range of flexibility to prevent the aligner from falling off the teeth while adjusting the teeth to the programmed rest position of the tray.
For aligners, your orthodontist will take an impression of your teeth. This impression is then used with different software programs that create a series of trays. Each tray is lightly “straighter” than the other, with the last tray being perfectly straight teeth.
Most frequently, the orthodontist then bonds small attachments to your teeth. These attachments are needed to keep the tray snapped onto your teeth.
After the attachments are finished, the first tray is snapped onto the teeth and kept on the teeth for two weeks. The attachments ensure a downward pressure is applied to the tray, which pushes the teeth into position of the tray on top of the teeth.
After two weeks, the tray is removed and the next tray in the series is placed on the teeth. This process continues until all the trays in the series are used.
For individuals with cosmetic concerns who want efficient tooth movement with minimal metal showing, there are many different types of braces for teeth. There are braces clear, tooth colored, ceramic, plastic, and resin. Each of these types offer their own advantages. Ceramic tends to be very hard and durable, but also brittle. Resin can be a bit soft, but can offer customization options that can anatomically fit your teeth perfectly.
Unfortunately, theses appliances are more fragile than stainless steel and require more attention to what foods are eaten. It is not uncommon for patients to have a broken bracket. In addition, clear ceramic or resin braces tend to be larger and the normal overbite on some individuals might prevent them from being used on the lower teeth.
Clear braces use the same mechanical design as metal Edgewise / traditional braces.
Edgewise / traditional metal braces straighten teeth by using a mechanical process orthodontists refer to as deflection. Deflection sounds complicated, but tooth deflection is not all that different than a trampoline.
When no one is jumping on a trampoline, it is “at rest.” In this position, no forces are acting on the trampoline. As soon as someone jumps on the trampoline, the weight of the person puts force on the springs of the trampoline, which bends, and then launches the person up with the stored force in the springs.
With the Edgewise system, think of the archwire as a trampoline. As the archwire is bent into place within the slots of each bracket, the wire pushes back like a trampoline. This force is called springback.
Springback is the force a wire places on the teeth as the wire returns to its “at rest” position. The wire slowly but surely returns to the at rest position, applying force to the teeth along the way and straightening them into the desired position.
For more information on how Edgewise wire deflection works, please see this study by clicking - Maximum Forces and Deflections From Orthodontic Appliances
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