Metal Orthodontists Can Help You Choose the Right Metal Orthodontic Braces

Whether you’re a teenager stepping into the world of braces or an adult looking to straighten your smile, tried-and-true metal braces offer a reliable path to a healthier, more beautiful smile. Today’s metal braces are smaller, lighter, and more comfortable.

While more advanced metal orthodontic braces San Antonio treatments offer faster treatment and invisible treatment, metal braces provide superior durability and control.

Brackets

Traditional metal braces are made from durable stainless steel and provide a proven, time-tested method for straightening teeth and correcting bite issues. During treatment, they apply gentle pressure to encourage gradual movement of the teeth and jaw bones into a more aligned position.

These brackets feature specialized slots that allow a metal orthodontic braces San Antonio wire to pass through them, creating customized pressure and encouraging tooth movement through a process known as remodeling. They also work faster at closing gaps and aligning crooked teeth than other treatments do.

Patients with metal braces are encouraged to avoid hard foods that may damage or break the brackets or wires. Eating a well-balanced diet is still possible, but we recommend cutting up fruits like apples, pears and peaches before eating them to reduce the risk of breaking or damaging a bracket.

Wires

Traditional metal braces use small brackets that are affixed to the front of each tooth, holding thin wires. These are minutely adjusted over time to help gently guide the teeth into their correct position within the mouth.

These traditional braces are known for their durability and effectiveness in treating a variety of dental irregularities, including severe overcrowding. They are also often more cost-effective than newer metal orthodontic braces San Antonio treatments.

Patients with traditional metal braces must follow a regimented daily brushing and flossing routine to ensure that food and bacteria don’t become trapped between the teeth and the brackets. They must also avoid certain foods, such as gum, ice, hard candy, whole apples and raw carrots. They may be able to eat these foods if they are cut into very small pieces.

Elastics

While traditional metal braces have a reputation for being clunky and obvious, they still offer the best control over tooth movement and are very cost-effective. Plus, they have a more subtle appearance today than ever before due to smaller brackets and lighter wires.

A thin, flexible arch wire is threaded through these brackets and held in place by tiny elastic bands, or ligatures. The elastics come in a variety of colors to allow you to express your personality.

Occasionally, we will need to use rubber bands – also known as elastomerics or rubbers – to increase the amount of pressure on a particular area of your mouth. This helps correct a twisted or crooked tooth, close gaps between teeth, and align teeth that are protruding or leaning too far back.

Spacers

Traditional metal braces remain the most reliable and effective treatment option for straightening teeth and fixing bite problems. Our orthodontists can help you decide if they are the best option for your smile goals.

Metal brackets are fixed to your teeth with dental cement and an archwire is threaded through them, exerting pressure on your teeth and jaw bones to shift them into alignment. Small rubber bands, called elastics, wrap around each bracket to hold the archwire in place. You can add colored elastics to show off your personality or celebrate a special occasion, and you’ll get a new color with each adjustment visit.

While they can be uncomfortable as you adjust to them, metal braces are durable and can treat a wide range of malocclusions. They are also the least expensive orthodontic treatment options.

Clear Braces

A more subtle option than traditional metal braces, clear braces (also known as ceramic braces) use the same treatment mechanism to gradually shift teeth into place. Instead of stainless steel, the brackets that hold the arch wire are made from a clear ceramic material that blends in with your teeth. Also, instead of rubber bands, clear elastics (also called ligatures) are used to attach the arch wire to the brackets.

The arch wire places a gentle pressure on your teeth. This pressure, combined with the natural remodeling process of your bones, slowly moves teeth into their correct positions. Like traditional metal braces, clear ceramic braces can treat a wide variety of metal orthodontic braces San Antonio issues, including crowded teeth, gaps, and bite problems. They are most popular with older teenagers and adult patients who have cosmetic concerns.