Harleysville, PA Braces

Metal braces are the most common type of braces for orthodontic patients. Today's traditional braces are smaller, flatter, and more comfortable than in the past. Our patients choose metal braces to help them achieve straighter, more beautiful smiles. Contact Becker Orthodontics near Harleysville, PA today for more information or to schedule an appointment.

All About Your Braces

Traditional metal braces are made of high-quality stainless steel or titanium. The three main parts of your braces are:

• Brackets — Brackets are attached to the teeth using special glue that bonds them to the tooth surface and holds them in place as long as you need your braces.
• Archwire — The archwire is the thin metal wire that connects each bracket and puts pressure on the teeth to help guide them into place. These are tightened and adjusted throughout your treatment.
• Ligature elastic (also known as the “rubber bands”) — Elastics, or rubber bands, are the colored ties that hold the archwires to the brackets. Your orthodontist will change the elastics at each appointment.
  

How Do Braces Work?

Once placed on your teeth, braces place constant pressure on your teeth, the force of which helps move teeth into proper position. At each appointment, your orthodontist may tighten the archwires as part of the process. If your teeth feel a little loose, this is normal and temporary; once the teeth are done moving this feeling will go away.

Are Traditional Braces the Right Fit for You?

The American Association of Orthodontists suggests children visit the orthodontist as young as age seven, young children, teenagers, and adults alike wear braces to fix overbites, underbites, and crossbites. Braces are also often used to correct crooked teeth.

You also now have several options when it comes to braces, primarily choosing between clear aligners or metal braces.

At Becker Orthodontics in we pride ourselves in helping you select the most effective treatment for your smile. Traditional metal braces still have their advantages, even when compared to more modern options like clear trays or aligners. These include:

• Metal braces are more cost-efficient.
• Metal braces treat severe cases most effectively. Invisible aligners straighten teeth, much like traditional braces, but metal braces are most effective when it comes to treating more severe or complex problems, like crossbites and malocclusions.
• Children enjoy the customizability of metal braces, which allow them to pick metal or rubber band colors to match their personalities.
• Traditional braces are permanent and fixed onto your teeth. With clear aligners, wearers are tasked with the responsibility of removing them before meals or hot drinks, then putting them back in. Traditional braces are always working and cannot be rendered less effective by constantly taking them in and out.
• Additionally, when you take out clear aligners or trays, they should be kept in their own case. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t easily be lost or misplaced.
• No accidents! When you take clear aligners or clear trays out to eat, it is wise to keep them in a case specifically designated for that purpose. That doesn't always happen. In fact, it is very common for patients to go to school, go out to eat, or even to go on trips and leave their cases behind. Without the case, it means you must keep aligners on the table or in napkins, paper towels, or tissues -- places they can easily be forgotten and mistakenly discarded.
  

Caring For Your Braces

Brush your teeth at least twice a day. This may seem obvious, but it’s important to make sure that you’re brushing your teeth consistently when you have braces. If you skip brushing, you can end up with permanent discoloration on your teeth from the brackets.

Floss regularly. If you aren’t flossing regularly already, it’s a good time to start! Thread the piece of floss between your archwire and tooth and proceed to floss as you regularly would.

Watch what you eat. When you first get your braces, you’ll be given a list of foods to. These foods have the potential to stick to your braces and damage your teeth because of prolonged exposure and should be avoided completely.

Contact Becker Orthodontics Today