How Long Should You Wear a Retainer – Dental devices – Also known as braces or brackets – are an instrument in which orthodontics are used to correct dental malformations. A dental malformation is, of course, a pathology, just as its name implies, related to the teeth. In other words, dental devices help to ensure good oral health. It is usual that these disadvantages with the teeth appear during preadolescence (between 10 and 12 years) or even during childhood. So it is at this age most often that the dental professional designs devices for his patients.
During childhood, once the teeth of milk give way to the definitive teeth, they grow while looking for their place in the mouth, so to speak. It is not uncommon at all that some grow in a direction that is not the one that is suitable for oral health. Perhaps, this situation is not a disadvantage at first, but it will certainly be put to it later on unless the help of a professional is used.
Thats where the braces come in. They are made of metal most often and what they do, concretely, is to rectify the position of the teeth and to keep, through the rigidity of their metal structure, the right position. A bad position of the teeth causes, for example, difficulties in chewing food – and therefore, to digest the same. Also, this bad position can promote the appearance and accumulation of bacteria in the gums, and they can thus undergo inflammation that would cause pain and complicate brushing – or, good cleaning – of teeth, which would also facilitate the appearance of cavities. This disadvantage can also be the cause of non-dental diseases such as migraines or headaches.
As we well know, the teeth are arranged in the form of an arc. So if the odontologist deems it necessary to use braces, it will design them while following the precise shape of this arc. Thereafter, the rigidity of the stainless steel of the device will correct the position of the teeth to keep them in the desired position. On the other hand, the fixation of the teeth to the gums is rigid also and therefore the first reaction of the teeth will be resistance to change. It will, therefore, be a gradual process that will take time – usually years – to overcome, little by little, this resistance of the teeth until they accept their new position.
In addition, it may also be that someone wants to change the position of their teeth for purely cosmetic reasons and that this modification is not necessary from the medical point of view. It is also possible to use dental devices for this purpose. In this case, the orthodontics professional will be able to design the necessary braces to ensure the desired position but without compromising the good oral health.
If we talk about aesthetics, it is certainly not very nice to see steel on teeth when someone displays a smile. To avoid this disadvantage, invisible dental devices made of thermoplastic material are our best allies.