Having straight teeth is important. Teeth that are crooked, out of place or misaligned affect the way a person chews and speaks and how their smile looks. When you have unnatural spaces, crooked teeth are harder to clean and are more likely to develop cavities. Your orthodontist in Phoenix, AZ will tell you that this will lead to detrimental effects on your dental and overall health.
In some cases, crooked teeth can affect the way your jaws line up and can cause pain and discomfort.
One method to correct this is to have orthodontic treatment, like braces. Orthodontic treatment works by exerting a gentle pressure over time to straighten teeth that are growing, or have already grown, that are out of place.
Braces have come a long way from the "train track" look of years ago. Today, many orthodontic patients can get braces that attach to the backs of the teeth, or use transparent brackets.
A retainer is a custom-made, removable appliance that helps keep teeth in their new, straightened position after braces have been removed. Active Retainers can also be used to treat minor orthodontic problems. Your orthodontist in Phoenix, AZ can recommend the best treatment for you, once he or she has examined you and consulted with you about your exact concerns.
There are many different types of braces or brackets used in orthodontics to straighten teeth. Common types of braces are silver, gold braces, or clear braces. Several orthodontic manufacturing companies produce a variety of braces, each with numerous variations of each type, all of which are available to every orthodontist. Such a broad spectrum of options allows an orthodontist to choose specific types of braces that he or she feels comfortable with and works best with his or her style of treatment.
If you are looking to get braces, know that most orthodontists offer several types of braces to better accommodate certain cases or specific requests of the patient. However, there is no right or wrong type of orthodontic braces to use for any given case.
In general, every bracket functions as an attachment site for the orthodontic wire, which provides the dynamic force on each tooth to cause movement. Since the bracket itself is not directly responsible for tooth movement, the numerous bracket designs mainly reflect variations in their size, shape, color, and material make-up.
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