Dental Braces
What are dental braces?
Dental braces is a kind of orthodontic treatment to align crooked teeth.
With advancement of technology, we now have more options when it comes to selection of dental braces. How do we know which type of braces is more suitable? Is it the conventional braces with colourful bands? Or the newer braces which are invisible and removable? Let us look at the advantages and disadvantages of each type of braces before deciding which works best for you.
Why do we need braces?
Dental braces can not only align the teeth and improve esthetics, by aligning the teeth, chewing efficiency improves. This also improves the function of our teeth and allow for better digestion and overall better general health. Other than that, well aligned teeth are less prone to tooth decay, food entrapment as well as gum diseases causing premature lost of precious teeth.
What are the types of braces?
Conventional metal braces
Conventional metal braces are the most common and affordable type of braces. It comes with colourful bands that are tied to each bracket to secure the wire to the teeth. This is a popular braces type among teenagers due to the option to choose a different colour band each month.
Treatment duration for conventional braces is usually longer. It ranges from 3 years to 5 years depending on difficulty of the treatment.
The advantages of conventional braces is definitely its price point, ability to choose fun colours every month and the strong metal brackets which doesn’t chip off as compared to ceramic braces.
However, there are also a few disadvantages of conventional metal braces to take note of. The first few days after changing the bands monthly, there will be tightness and discomfort on the teeth. Soft diet is preferred during this period until the discomfort subside. These metal braces also have sharp edges that tend to cause ulcers in the mouth and lips.
Oral hygiene is a hassle as food tend to get trap around the bands making it difficult to brush and increase the risk of cavity formation around the brackets. Furthermore, as this treatment does not allow for arch expansion, it will sometimes require teeth extraction to create space to accommodate the crooked teeth.
Self ligating braces/ Damon braces
Self ligating braces or Damon braces is a type of braces that does not have colourful band on each bracket. The wire is held onto the teeth through build-in gate system on the brackets themselves. Due to the lack of rubber bands, the teeth are freely moving and thus causes less pain and discomfort compared to conventional braces.
Treatment duration for self ligating braces is sometimes shortened as movement of the teeth are now faster than in conventional type. It can be reduced to 1.5-3 years depending on case severity.
Damon braces a brand of self ligating braces. It is a reputable brand with long track record. The Damon system has a unique design of the bracket which allow for easy care and cleaning. The edges on the brackets are smooth and does not cause ulcers in mouth. Due to the passive bracket system, as well and low force Damon copper NiTi wires, it allows expansion of the arch and thus able to prevent the need for teeth extraction in some cases.
Clear aligners
Clear aligners are a modern orthodontic treatment that uses a series of custom-made, transparent plastic trays to gradually move teeth into their desired positions. Unlike traditional braces, clear aligners are virtually invisible and can be removed for eating, drinking, and oral hygiene.
Clear aligners treatment is more predictable without any guess work. The end result is portraited in 3D animation and estimation of treatment duration is accurately predicted.
Braces treatment using clear aligners allows for faster result with minimal discomfort. Treatment duration of clear aligner is usually 6 months-2 years. It is the best choice for those who wants invisible braces without annoying brackets and wires.
The aligner can be removed during meal and therefore patients have no diet restrictions. There is also no fear of brackets dislodge and wire breakage that calls for emergency dental visits. Brushing and dental care is not affected as aligners can be removed during brushing, allowing patients to brush and floss as usual.
Each aligner is replaced every 7-10 days. Wear time is 22 hours a day, which calls for strict compliance in wearing the aligners. As it needs a constant force to move the teeth, wear time is especially important. If wear time is insufficient, the teeth might not move into the position predicted and might cause off tracking of teeth, leading to longer treatment period.
FAQ for Adult braces
Yes! We are equipped with a 3D intraoral scanner that can show you the before and possible after result of your braces treatment.
It depends on the severity of your dental malalignment as well as the protrusion of your lips. If you are not happy with your facial profile, and you find that your lips are protruded outwards, you may need extraction to bring the teeth inwards during the braces treatment.
However there are also other ways such as distalizing with clear aligners, en mass retraction with screw and so on to move the teeth backwards.
While we would love to claim that braces are painless, unfortunately, that is usually not the case. The constant discomfort from poking wires and the tight feeling after the monthly review appointment can cause ulcers and make eating painful.
Fortunately, newer technology like Damon self-ligating braces are available. With their rounded edges and no need for monthly tightening, it makes them relatively less painful compared to conventional braces.
Clear aligners are another option, and while they don’t cause ulcers, you may still feel some tightness each week when switching to a new set.
For braces other than clear aligners, we will need to see you every month to monitor the progress and check for any dislodged brackets.
As for clear aligners, we can provide up to 3 months’ worth of clear aligner sets for those with busy schedules. However, we still recommend monthly visits to ensure the treatment is progressing as planned.
- Brush your teeth or at least rinse your mouth after every meal.
- Use floss or interdental brushes to clean between braces and under wires.
- Avoid sticky, hard, and sugary foods that can damage braces or cause decay.
Contact the dentist as soon as possible to fix the issue. In the meantime, you can use orthodontic wax to cover any sharp edges and prevent irritation. Do note that each time a bracket or wire comes loose, it will prolong the treatment duration so do be mindful of what you eat!
Yes, retainers help maintain the new position of your teeth and prevent them from shifting back. Retainers are worn full time for the first 3 months after braces removal and is switched to night time wear only after that.
Generally the teeth will shift around after not wearing the retainers for some time. If you want to maintain the braces result, retainers will need to be worn life long.
- Discomfort and soreness. There might be ulcers forming in the mouth so be sure to drink more water to help with the healing.
- Potential for tooth decay or gum disease if proper hygiene is not maintained. Any food that we eat might get trapped on the brackets and wires. If it is not removed right after your meal, it can cause tooth decay to form around the brackets.
- Temporary difficulty in speaking or eating. It will take some time and training but you should be fine in a month’s time.
It will depend on your location. Generally, different types of braces can cost as follows:
- Conventional metal braces: Approximately RM5000-6000
- Self ligating braces/ Damon braces: Approximately RM7000-10000
- Clear aligners: Approximately RM6000-24000