Braces & Aligners

What is Braces & Aligners?

Braces are dental tools that help correct problems with your teeth like crowding, crooked teeth, or teeth that are out of alignment. These are made up of wires, brackets, and bands which aid to correct the irregular teeth positioning. Aligners also have similar functions but unlike braces, aligners are removable. These are thin, clear trays that are used to align or straighten the teeth and guide the teeth. In aligners, the patient himself is responsible for putting aligners in and taking out.

When does someone needs Brace & Aliners ?

Symptoms that can indicate you need braces includes:

  • If you have crooked or crowded teeth
  • Difficult to floss and brush around crooked teeth
  • The gap between teeth which can cause speech problems
  • Difficulty in chewing, often biting your tongue or inner cheeks
  • Overlapping of teeth
  • Teeth that don’t close over each other properly when your mouth is at rest
  • Jaws that click or make sounds when you chew or talk

Do's AND Dont's With Braces & Aliners

  • Avoid sticky food like gum or caramel
  • Don’t forget to use a mouthguard while playing a sport
  • Avoid extreme cold or extreme hot eatables.
  • Avoid carbonated drinks.
  •  Consume drinks which are low on sugar content.
  • Brush after every meal and never let food stuck on your braces
  • Visit your dentist on every follow-up
  • Do not skip flossing

Types of Braces & Aliners ?

Metal braces
Metal braces also known as traditional braces are the most common type of braces. They come with a metal bracket with elastic ties holding the wire onto the metal brackets. The wires use your body heat to move teeth more quickly and less painfully. There is no age limit attached to these. All age people can choose to straighten their teeth using metal braces.

Ceramic
Ceramic braces are a common alternative to traditional metal braces. They have brackets made of ceramic or porcelain, or in some cases plastic. They use tooth colour and blend more naturally with your teeth. Being less prominent, they require more care and protection compared to the former one.

Lingual
Unlike metal and ceramic braces, lingual braces are quite different. It is invisible as it is placed on the backside of the teeth facing the tongue. The individual bracket is customized using CAD-CAM / 3D designing. Lingual braces somewhat don’t spoil your smile and don’t let people know that you are wearing braces. For this reason, it is gaining popularity both for children and adults.

Invisible aligners
Invisible aligners or clear aligners are BPA-free plastic trays that fit snugly over teeth which overtime shift teeth into the desired position. In this, your dentist provides a set of plastic trays suggesting you to wear for 1 or 2 weeks at a time. Each aligner makes slight adjustments to your tooth position, advancing you to the next stage of aligned teeth. These are highly comfortable and hygienic. Clear aligners also hide existing gaps.