I have braces (at the advanced age of 27… yuk) and it occurred to me the other day that I have absolutely no idea how they work. I know that every time I go in for an adjustment, they replace the wire with a stronger wire, but that’s about the limit of my knowledge. Anyone know anything about this? I was also wondering the other day if it would be possible to actually use braces to make someone’s teeth look more crooked, if they bizarrely wanted that look. In other words, can orthodontists use braces to make your teeth look any way they want to, or is there basically only one “proper alignment” and braces are going to force your teeth into that alignment no matter what?
How do braces work?
Well, you attach the front ends to the front of your trousers, and the rear ends to the back of your trousers. Then the straps go over your shoulders!
Oh, wait… You mean the kind in your mouth. Never mind.
A friend who is 43 years recently just got braces. I asked him the same question, so he asked his dentist. The dentist told him that the constant pressure actually makes the teeth move through bone. As it moves bone grows into the void.
FWIW
Jim
Ever see a guard rail that’s been bumped so many times that the posts at either end have been pulled out of alignment? Same thing, only backwards.
Well, that makes some kind of sense. Anyone have more detailed descriptions or info?
I have a related question. The last few times I’ve moved and switched dentists, they’ve mentioned the possibility of me going to an orthodontist to see about my bite (yes, it’s off, but you can’t tell from my front teeth).
Since I hope to be working full-time again soon, the possibility exists that I might see an orthodontist and I may end up in braces or something. But I have several crowns in my mouth (5) and I wonder if that would affect the ability of the braces to do their job - or if I would need to get new crowns once my bite is adjusted.
Anyone know?
(Yes, I know, ask the dentist/orthodontist, and I will when I actually have one. This is more curiosity than anything else at this point.)
Lsura - crowns will not be affected by braces; you’ll simply have to get the brackets attached to a band that goes around the tooth instead of directly onto the tooth itself.
The link to Archwired is a great resource. As an adult with braces I’ve spent a lot of time there myself. The basic way (and reason) braces work is this:
With continual, light force applied to the teeth, the body will naturally break down the bone in the direction the force is being applied. Osteoblasts and osteoclasts are released and work to break down the bone in the direction of resistance, and rebuild the bone behind it. It only takes a matter of days for the bone to break down enough to allow movement, however it can take months to rebuild it to shore up the tooth. In this manner the teeth can move around within the gumline like a hot knife through butter.
The archwires that I wear, and I would assume most people have these days are not at all like the ones used even just a few years ago. Used to be you’d go in and the wire would actually be tightened and crimped by the ortho to apply the force. My wires are made by NASA, and they’re a thermo-activated memory metal. When cold, the wire is as limp as cooked spaghetti. Once it warms up to body temperature it stiffens up and conforms to its memory shape - an arch.
The wires most people start out with are round. Eventually you may move up to a rectangular archwire. This provides more torque and allows for movement along a plane of rotation. There are many different planes of movement for each tooth, and while teeth may look straight to the naked eye, there is still a matter of adjusting the roots of the teeth as well. A lot of different tools are available to the orthodontist to accomplish this task. Elastics can be worn to apply diagonal pressure. Powerchains can close gaps and keep teeth grouped together. These are just a few of the many devices used in conjunction with braces.
It’s kind of neat, really - I’ve had my braces on for about a year now. Within the first two weeks I saw a great deal of movement. It’s amazing how it all works when you really get into it.
I have braces and let me tell you the answer to this one:
Yes.
My lower teeth were really cramped. To be able to move them around, my dentist needed to have space to adjust them. My front lower teeth were moved so that they truly looked a billion times worse than they did originally. I felt like that Cletus guy from the Simpsons. Not only did they have huge gaps inbetween, but they also moved into the weirdest angles.
If one were to see me then, they would assume that that is why I got the braces.
Thankfully, he is bringing them back together and they don’t look as bad. In time, they will look swell.
Boy, I sure did have nightmares wondering if that was how my teeth were going to end up! I really hated those months. HATED.