More and more frequently, children or even adults are coming to the dentist dissatisfied with the appearance of their dental arches or with the way certain functions of their dental appliances are performed.
Children are usually brought in by parents who notice asymmetries in the tooth eruption, malposition or lack of space on the arches for erupting teeth.
Adults are more hesitant before making the decision to go to the orthodontist because they are anxious about wearing braces for years to come, which they believe will damage their aesthetic appearance.
The multitude of braces that have appeared in the last decade come with solutions that decisively improve the aesthetic appearance of the dental arches when worn.
The attitude to wearing braces has also changed.
Therefore, people who have braces are no longer stigmatized for this, but are appreciated for taking care of their oral health and functionality, especially as at times wearing braces can be painful and may require giving up eating certain foods.
Braces began to appear around 1800, although in more developed countries there was concern for healthy teeth long before that.
The methods of aligning teeth on dental arches varied according to culture and civilization, but the aim was one and the same: to give the patient a beautiful smile.
Whether gold or metal wires were used to encircle the teeth and pull them into the correct position, or the alignment was done using animal bones, in some cases the results were very good.
In the meantime, the methods by which dental aligners are made have evolved and today they are in continuous development, to offer the patient maximum comfort and the doctor easy handling, effective results that are maintained after the removal of the braces.
The components of dental braces are:
Brackets – are those prefabricated pieces that are bonded with adhesive composites to the surface of each tooth.
They are applied by the orthodontist by bonding each unit, or they can also be bonded indirectly, using a guide for application.
Springs – are of different sizes, materials and shapes per section depending on the stage of orthodontic treatment and are designed to mobilize the teeth, moving them into the desired position.
Springs can be metal but there are also versions that are closer in color to the teeth, painted white or made of ceramic and sapphire for more aesthetic demands.
Rings – are used for the back teeth, i.e. the molars, which require more force to move and are circular in shape.
Over time, to reduce costs and make them more affordable for a large mass of the population, gold wires have been replaced by stainless steel wires. Today, there are also orthodontic appliances that are applied to the oral side of the teeth and are therefore less visible.
The last decade has seen the emergence of Invisalign braces, which involve aligning the teeth using plastic brackets, which are much better tolerated by the patient.
