Teeth play a vital role in your overall health. They are needed to bite and chew food so that it is digested with ease. They also help you speak fluidly and with clarity. When you are a child, you lose teeth that are also known as baby teeth. Permanent teeth take the place of the baby teeth. Every adult has 32 permanent teeth. This means that you have to take good care of your teeth because unlike the baby ones, they will not grow back again. Therefore, utilizing any necessary and recommended orthodontic work will ensure that you have a healthy, beautiful smile for many years to come. Fortunately, you have options today, including mini-diamond braces.
What are Braces?
The concept of braces has been around for ages, and viable devices used to straighten teeth and align jaws were established around the 1800s in the United States. However, the inklings of orthodontic contraptions date back as far as ancient times. Ancient places, like Egypt, Rome, and Greece, show the use of crude and basic materials in attempts to correct the alignment of misaligned teeth.
Luckily, times have changed, and as society becomes more advanced, so has the technology. Advanced technology paves the way for many improvements in people’s lives, and dental care is a good example of this. The field of dentistry has drastically progressed, and now dental and orthodontic care is tailored to your needs as you see fit. Now, you have many options for dental treatments, restoration procedures, and orthodontic corrections. You are no longer stuck with only one option. Specifically, the art of orthodontic braces has really come a long way from what it used to be.
Reasons for Braces
Oral issues that individuals often experience are overbites, underbites, crowded teeth, crooked teeth, and jaw joint disorders. Overbites and underbites occur when the upper or lower jaw greatly protrudes over the other set of teeth. Overbites can cause excess wear to the enamel on the teeth and cause gum recession. Underbites can lead to jaw pain and the inability to chew food efficiently.
Crowded teeth occur when a person’s mouth is too small and there is not enough space to fit them all. The teeth become crowded, and the result is them moving into incorrect positions. Crooked teeth are misaligned and are not in a straight position. Jaw joint disorders, like temporomandibular joint pain, creates painful feelings when the jaw moves. This type of condition severely restricts jaw movement and affects the afflicted person’s quality of life. It is believed that these teeth problems are caused by several underlying factors. Genetics, injury, stress, gum disease, tumors, previous botched dental work, bad dental hygiene habits, and malnutrition are all possible culprits of teeth malformations. With the help of a qualified orthodontist and an orthodontic treatment plan, such as braces, these teeth problems are fixable.
The Importance of Straight Teeth
Aside from major teeth issues, the use of orthodontic devices to straighten your teeth is essential for several reasons. The first reason is that braces are important because they will keep your gums healthy. Gums play a big role in protecting your teeth from cavity-causing bacteria. People who have crowded or gapped teeth are prone to gum disease, so correcting these misalignments will reinforce the strength and health of your gums. It is crucial to treat gum disease as it can worsen over time and increase a person’s risk of getting a stroke or heart attack.
Another reason why it’s important to have straight teeth is that it is easier to clean them. When teeth are too crooked or too crowded in the mouth, it makes it very hard to floss and brush properly. As a result, these misaligned teeth are more prone to cavities and infections due to the food getting stuck in hard-to-reach places.
The third reason why properly aligned teeth are important is that they will save you money in the future. When you invest in the health of your teeth early on, you will not have as many problems later on as you get older. As you age, your teeth will experience normal wear and tear. If your teeth are straight and not crooked or protruding, you can preserve the condition of your permanent teeth. You would not need to worry about getting expensive procedures, like implants and dentures, later on.
When you have straight teeth, you will feel more confident and secure in your appearance. Those with teeth that are out of alignment tend to feel self-conscious about their smile. Having a beautiful smile will make you feel great inside and out. When you flash someone a beautifully straight smile, they are bound to smile back at you!
Procedures to Straighten Teeth
There are several options for straightening teeth. The most common devices used to fix misaligned teeth are braces. There are a few types to choose from: metal, ceramic, and clear aligners. Metal braces are also known as traditional braces. These type of braces are made of metal brackets and are placed onto the teeth and attached to a wire with some bonding cement. Over time, these braces help move the teeth and jaw into proper shape. Metal braces are particularly effective in treating over-impacted and crooked teeth.
Ceramic braces are similar to metal braces, but instead of brackets that are metal, they are made of porcelain or ceramic composite. Ceramic braces appear to be tooth-colored and are less noticeable than traditional braces.
Clear aligners, like Invisalign®, are clear, custom made trays that fit the shape of your mouth and are worn for the majority of the day to slowly move the teeth to the desired state. They are taken out only when you eat, floss, and brush your teeth. Clear aligners are made of an elastic thermoplastic material that works to push the teeth into the right place. This process is suitable for patients who have minor teeth alignment that needs to be corrected.
Another Alternative to Mainstream Braces: Mini-Diamond Braces
Mini-diamond braces are a newer form of orthodontic treatment that has been gaining recognition for their effectiveness and convenience. These type of braces have brackets that are smaller in size than their other counterparts. They function just as well as traditional braces but are extremely subtle. Wearers of mini-diamond braces do not have to worry about feeling self-conscious about having a mouth full of shiny metal. Because of their compact size, they are also more comfortable to wear. With traditional braces, ulcers and canker sores are more likely to occur because the mouth is not used to having large pieces of metal on the teeth. The lips and cheeks are irritated by the constant friction of the obtrusive metal. However, with mini-diamond braces, the metal pieces are substantially smaller, reducing the likelihood of sores developing in the mouth.
Also, with traditional braces, teeth are often sore when they are tightened. With mini-diamond braces, teeth do not get as sore when they are tightened because the brackets are smaller and less pressure is needed to align the teeth. Mini-diamond braces are considered a jack-of-all-trades orthodontic treatment. They can work to fix many problems, such as to close gaps and correct crowding. Other orthodontic treatments are effective in treating only a limited amount of alignment problems. For instance, clear aligners are ineffective in treating severely impacted and misaligned teeth and are geared towards patients with minor misalignment issues.
The standard length of time that people wear traditional braces is about 16-18 months. Some people may wear them for as long as 36 months, though. Ultimately, it depends on the patient and their situation.
If you are stylish, you will love the fun color options you can pick each time you come in to adjust your braces. You may change the color of the ligatures to match your mood, an upcoming holiday, and even your attire!
Maintaining consistently good oral hygiene is especially important when you get braces. Those who wear braces are more susceptible to cavities if they are not properly cared for. Once the braces are put onto the teeth, cleaning your teeth will be very different from what it was like before you had braces. Because there are so many wires and brackets in your mouth, you will need to take care when flossing and brushing. When the brackets are compact, visibility is not as obstructed, and you will be able to see the areas that you cleaned and which parts of the teeth need more flossing or brushing.
Getting Started with Orthodontic Treatment
Mini-diamond braces are versatile and offer many advantages. They can be enjoyed by adults, kids, and teens. No longer do you have to dread getting braces. This revolutionary treatment could help you achieve the smile that you’ve dreamed of without a big hassle.
Schedule an appointment at the office of Brodie Bowman, DMD to learn more about straightening your smile with our stellar mini-diamond braces. During this meeting, our orthodontist can assess your teeth and bite and help you determine which treatment is the best fit for you. We’ll make sure to come up with a customized treatment that aims to provide you with the smile you desire.
Brodie Bowman, DMD has two offices located in Fort Walton Beach and Niceville. Contact us today to book an appointment. We look forward to hearing from you!