Clear Braces
Serving Denver and Stapleton, Colorado
How Braces Work
If you are thinking of getting braces, you may already know a couple of things about them from friends and family, or your own research. However, you may wonder just how braces work. At Advanced Orthodontic Care, there is more than one option for braces available. Because of these options, and our belief that educating our patients is just as important as their care and comfort, we think it is important for you to understand some of how the braces you may be wearing work.
The short answer is that braces gradually move the teeth by putting constant pressure against them. This pressure allows the teeth to move by causing the bone to respond. When the tooth is in its desired position, new bone growth will support the tooth and keep it there.
Basic Parts of Braces
There are four basic parts to braces:
- Brackets – attached to each tooth
- Bonding material – attaches the bracket to the tooth
- Arch wire – a thin metal wire that runs from bracket to bracket. This puts pressure on the teeth
- Ligature elastic – also called the “o-ring,” this rubber band holds the bracket to the arch wire and is changed at each adjustment
Advanced Orthodontic Care uses state-of-the-art technology that is different from the four basic parts in many respects. Though the basic premise of braces gradually moving your teeth remains, advances in technology let Dr. Rudman and his staff shorten the time of each appointment, and the variety of types of braces gives patients other options than just the traditional metal braces you may be most familiar with. Some of these differences are:
- Synergy R brackets – Self-ligating brackets that have a faster arch wire change, are low friction and light force. Teeth are moved more quickly and the brackets have no moveable parts that may bend or break
- Nitinol wire gauge – This super-elastic alloy wire reacts to the body’s temperature. It is rounded like the arch of the teeth, and if there are any deflections in the teeth, the teeth respond faster. We have found that our patients get the best results when using Nitinol with Synergy R brackets
- Energy Chain – Used in conjunction with Synergy R brackets, Energy Chain is an elastic chain material that does not touch the arch wire. It is designed to replace rubber bands on braces and assists in closing spacing between the teeth
- RMbond Indirect bonding – Most orthodontic offices in the country place brackets individually/one bracket at a time on each tooth. Dr. Rudman uses a technique call “Indirect Bonding” which allows him to carefully position each bracket on a stone model of the patient’s teeth. Then through the RMbonding process the brackets are encapsulated into a custom transfer tray. By using this process we are able to cut an hour long process down to as little as 15 minutes with accurate results
- Digital x-ray lab – Because the lab is located at Advanced Orthodontic Care’s Office they have the ability and the materials to produce a Pentron digital x-ray s; which has ten percent of the radiation of other x-ray machines. This allows Dr. Rudman immediate visual access to where the roots are in the jaw and bite position, as well as determine which treatment fits each candidate for dental braces
By using the latest technology to assess our patients’ orthodontic needs, we are able to shorten the amount of time you need to take out of your day for appointments and lessen the amount of discomfort our patients feel. Although treatment times vary, Advanced Orthodontic Care strives to keep this time to a minimum. After your orthodontic treatment is completed and you move on to the retention phase, you will be able to see just how much your smile and bite have improved.
If you are interested in finding out more about the newest technology that Advanced Orthodontic Care provides to their patients, please contact us for a clear braces initial consultation. We serve the Stapleton and Downtown Denver, Colorado area.
