Orthodontic Braces: Common (And Less Common) Questions Answered

Orthodontic treatment has been around for quite a long while now, in pretty much its current form, however there have never been more people seeking orthodontic treatment than now. The reasons for this are manifold and include a generation that is much more aware and conscious of their appearance, as well as an increase in awareness about the various treatment options available.

Is Getting Braces Painful?

This is almost always the first question that a patient will ask before getting treatment done and the answer to that is an emphatic no. Even someone with an extremely low threshold of pain will not have any pain whatsoever while getting braces put.

The process of bonding the braces to the teeth does not involve any grinding or cutting or even the use of any sort of anesthesia. The process involves application of an etchant solution followed by a bonding agent which allows the braces to attach strongly to the surface of the teeth.

This entire procedure takes somewhere between 30 and 45 minutes.

How Long Does The Treatment Last And What Is The Best Age To Get The Treatment Done?

The exact duration of the treatment is difficult to estimate however a reasonable estimate can probably be given by an experienced Orthodontist. The process of moving the teeth through the bone to the desired position is notoriously slow. The forces that are applied to the teeth cannot be increased beyond a certain point without harming the surrounding bone and causing necrosis.

The age at which the treatment is done also has an impact on the treatment time. It is seen on average that as the age of the patient increases, the treatment time increases as well. The ideal age to get the treatment done is during the early teenage years. This is when the entire permanent dentition has erupted and the bone characteristics are most favorable.

How Frequent Are The Dentist appointments?

After the initial appointments during which consultations, preorthodontic treatment and the actual placement of the orthodontic braces will be done, the frequency of appointments drops and usually stabilizes to once every month.

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That equates to around 12 to 15 exploratory  and maintenance visits during the entire duration of the treatment. During each of these appointments the orthodontist will adjust the forces acting on your teeth by adjusting the braces, changing the wires or adding certain other appliances as needed. None of these routine appointments should be painful to the patient or require any sort of anesthesia. After the appointment however patients experience soreness and pain for a couple of days. This is a natural reaction of the body in response to the changed nature of the forces. The pain, if it occurs at all, is very mild in nature and can be easily managed by the use of over the counter pain medication.

Current Treatment Protocol And Aesthetic Options

Does Everyone Need To Get Extractions As A Part Of The Treatment?

No. Not everyone needs to get extraction done, however some people will need to get one or more teeth removed to facilitate successful treatment. The primary reason why this is done is to gain space to allow the teeth to move into the desired positions. Current treatment protocols dictate that treatment should be attempted without removing teeth wherever possible, however it is not always possible. Some situations where extractions are done more often than not are in cases of severe crowding, extremely large teeth or the presence of small jaws.

Braces Are Too Jarring — Are There Options Which Are More Aesthetic?

Conventional metal braces are immediately apparent to everyone around you. This is not much of a problem as young adult when a lot of other people the same age are also wearing these braces, however if you have decided to get orthodontic treatment done a little later in life or are in a public or just want a more aesthetic option facing job then this can be a deal breaker.  

Luckily, there are a lot of options available. There is the option of getting ceramic braces, which are similar to the color of the teeth. These are still visible however they are much less apparent than their metal counterparts. The metal wire itself that goes around the teeth is also available in ceramic. These ceramic braces function in absolutely the same manner as regular metallic braces although some practitioners have found them to break a little more frequently.

The most aesthetic option, however, is the "invisible aligners" that have become extremely popular over the last few years. These aligners do not require any braces or wires and are completely transparent. They are basically a set of prefabricated mouth guards designed with the help of computer simulation that predicts the movement of the teeth. Their results have been found to be quite satisfactory in uncomplicated cases although some complicated cases will require the use of bonded braces for the final tooth movement.

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Can The Teeth Return To Their Original Position After The Braces Have Been Removed?

Once the active phase of treatment has been complete, the patients are required to use retainers for a period of time. This is to help stabilize the dentition and prevent the teeth from moving back into undesirable positions. Your doctor may also decide to use permanent retainers for the front couple of teeth to prevent any spaces from opening up. With most people, there will be a slight amount of movement that takes place after the braces have been removed however it is often imperceptible to the untrained eye.