Jeff Davis Dental
678-817-5900
Tom.Williams@jeffdavisdental.net
Dental Conditions
Placing Braces on Children
Until recently, orthodontics was used mainly to straighten crooked teeth. Now, when problems are caught early enough, it's possible to actually alter the facial development of a growing child by using functional appliances on his teeth.
Other orthodontic appliances don't work with facial development but do move teeth and correct malocclusions. One kind of appliance called a space maintainer is used after a baby tooth has been lost when the permanent tooth isn't due to come in soon.
Braces are used to correct a bad bite once most of the permanent teeth are in. Until the 1980s, a steel band was placed around each tooth like a ring. A wire pulled the teeth into line and was attached to a little bracket that was on the front of the steel bands. You may remember what this looked like: a mouth full of metal!
Fortunately, today these bands have been replaced with brackets that are bonded with an adhesive right to the front of the teeth. They're much more comfortable, smaller than an unpopped popcorn kernel, and much less noticeable than the steel bands.
Clear sapphire brackets are also available, but they're usually more expensive and tougher to keep clean. A stainless steel wire still connects the brackets, and different sizes of wire provide the proper pressure to move the teeth. Elastics that now come in many colors hold the wire in place. Special elastic bands may be added to speed up tooth movement. Other wires and attachments are used in more difficult cases.
It's pretty amazing how far teeth can move through bone. Your bone responds to the tension created by these brackets and wires by making special cells on each side of a tooth. These cells remove bone on one side of the tooth and make bone on the opposite side. That's what allows the tooth to move.
The time a child spends in braces depends on the severity of the malocclusion, but it's usually between one and three years. It's hard for children to clean their teeth once braces are on, so regular cleaning appointments are more important than ever. Permanent white stains may form on teeth if plaque isn't regularly removed.
After treatment, retainers are used to hold the teeth in their new alignment. Some retainers are designed to be removable, while others are cemented in place.
Successful orthodontic treatment is a partnership of effort between everyone involved. Through a cooperative effort, the final goal can be reached—a healthy mouth and a beautiful smile.