What They Do: A Look at the Best Uses for Braces
Simply put, braces are handles that are placed on the permanent teeth in a specific order. These handles are then used to move the teeth into ideal positions in relation to each other, your face and jaws. Braces can be used as early as 4-5 years of age – depending on the type and severity of the problem – but are more commonly seen in teenagers and adults.
Generally, braces are recommended for patients who have dental problems that affect the alignment of their teeth and bite. Crooked teeth can also affect your oral health by creating more hard-to-reach areas for bacteria to grow.
Common reasons why people need braces are:
Teeth can become crooked or misaligned for any number of reasons, including the growth of wisdom teeth or simple genetic factors that cause teeth to grow in at non-uniform positions. Braces work to reform this misalignment through years of retraining teeth, pulling or pushing them in a given direction to create a more uniform, more comfortable smile.
Overbites and underbites occur when the top and bottom rows of teeth are not properly aligned, causing one to slip under the other. This is a problem that can cause patients to suffer from long-term discomfort and awkward resting positions of the mouth. Braces use the same reformative techniques mentioned earlier to effectively align the teeth with each other, eliminating this problem