How Metal Braces and Clear Aligners Work?

Metal braces and clear aligners are deemed the basis of effective treatment in orthodontics, and for justifiable reasons. They are efficient, durable, and can address many dental problems. However, do you know how these dental restorations function to transform an imperfect smile into a straight and attractive one? This blog provides an insight into the mechanics of metal braces and clear aligners.

How Clear Aligners and Metal Braces Work

Clear Aligners and metal braces function similarly: they utilize gentle, constant pressure to move teeth to their appropriate positions with time. They straighten teeth and rectify other orthodontic problems like gapped, crowded, and crooked teeth. Many teens and children wear clear aligners and braces, though these dental appliances are also common in adults. Dental professionals who specialize in placing braces and clear aligners are known as orthodontists. However, general dentists can also offer this treatment.

However, even though they work towards achieving the same goal, they function differently. This can be attributed to the components of each dental restoration.

How Metal Braces Work

When you imagine braces, conventional metal braces may be the dental restoration that comes to mind. Metal braces have three primary components, each of which plays an essential role in straightening teeth:

• Metal brackets. These are small, square pieces attached directly onto the front surface of every tooth with a unique dental adhesive. Generally, brackets are made from premium stainless steel and act as the support points for the brace system. They come with slots to anchor the wires in position.

• Elastic bands or ligatures. These refer to tiny rubber bands that hold the wires in position within the metal bracket slots. These come in several colors, enabling patients to personalize their braces. The orthodontist or dentist generally replaces elastic bands during every appointment to adjust the braces. They function by exerting additional force on particular teeth or sets of teeth to attain the required bite alignment.

• Archwires. These are thin metal wires that connect all of the brackets and guide tooth movement. The wires are threaded via the slots on the brackets, and orthodontists periodically adjust them to put the right amount of pressure required to shift the teeth into their required position.

Patients might also have spacers, springs, et cetera, apart from the above components. Before your dental professional installs any special part, they will explain why they are doing it and the period they have to be in place, so you are aware.

An orthodontist or dentist will glue or bond a bracket to every tooth, then thread a thin archwire via the brackets. They will then secure the archwire firmly in position using elastic bands. At this point, the wire is flexible to enable the first teeth alignment.

The wire applies pressure continuously and gently on teeth, pushing them to shift. The pressure then prompts the bone surrounding the teeth to remodel. Jawbone remodelling entails the bone tissues on one side of the tooth breaking down and forming new bone on the other. This process enables teeth to move to their new position.

Before your general dentist or orthodontist places the braces, they will make a general treatment plan. After the initial placement, they will keep adjusting the wires every 4-6 weeks per their treatment plan, or replace them with new ones of varying shape and thickness. The adjustments are crucial for guiding teeth through every movement stage while maintaining the correct degree of pressure.

The period a person will have to wear braces to achieve the desired outcome varies based on how complex the case is. On average, however, treatment lasts between 1 and 3 years. During this time, routine dental visits are necessary to make adjustments and monitor progress.

You will experience slight soreness during the initial week following brace installation, but the feeling should reduce as your oral cavity adjusts. Inform your orthodontist or general dentist if you experience discomfort that lingers for longer than a few days.

After the teeth shifting is complete and all are in the appropriate positions, the dental professional removes the braces and prescribes a customized retainer to maintain treatment results. Retainers are essential since they assist in preventing teeth from moving back to the positions they were before.

Metal braces are noticeable whenever you smile. However, you can use tooth-colored or clear ligatures to make the braces less noticeable. Alternatively, if you are feeling festive, you could opt for brightly colored ligatures.

How Clear Aligners Work

Clear aligners are sometimes called invisible braces or invisible aligners. Rather than wires and brackets, these dental restorations utilize a sequence of customized trays to exert pressure on teeth, straightening them over a given period. Popular clear aligner brands include ClearCorrect and Invisalign. The three primary components of clear aligners are:

• Aligner trays. These are customized plastic trays that fit over the whole arch of teeth.

• Attachments. These are small, tooth-colored bumps bonded to teeth. They serve as handles, providing aligner trays with something to grasp to have the leverage required to achieve more intricate tooth movements. Not everybody needs attachments. However, they are helpful for more complex movements of the teeth. They assist the aligners in applying force more predictably and effectively. They are like small helpers that make the entire process more efficient. Attachments come in varying sizes and shapes, based on the kind of movement required. Your dental professional will determine whether you need them during your first consultation.

• Elastic rubber bands. Like traditional metal braces, rubber bands can also be used with invisible braces to rectify bite problems. These rubber bands attach to tiny hooks on the aligner trays or attachments bonded to the teeth. They connect to attachments or between the bottom and top aligner trays to assist them in correcting your bite by applying additional pressure to the teeth.

An orthodontist takes an impression of your teeth and creates a series of plastic trays that fit over your teeth. Orthodontists recommend that patients wear every set of invisible aligners 22 hours daily for 1-2 weeks. Once this period ends, you can swap the aligner trays out for the next set in the series.

Every new set of invisible aligners is preprogrammed to achieve particular tooth movements by exerting a steady and gentle force. The sets guide teeth to a different position, working towards an aligned smile. As you continue using the aligners in the series, your smile slowly takes shape.

Like metal braces, clear aligners also adjust teeth via a biological process called bone remodelling. As the aligner trays exert pressure, the ligaments and jawbone gradually adjust, enabling the teeth to move safely over a period. In certain instances, minimal reshaping between teeth (called IPR) might be required for enhanced results.

After your invisible aligners have finished their work, your dental professional will give you a customized retainer. This last step is essential. It will keep your newly-found smile lasting and stable.

Like traditional braces, the duration you will need to undergo treatment with clear braces varies based on how much your teeth have to shift. On average, many people wear these dental restorations for between 12 and 18 months. However, some may achieve the needed results in as little as half a year, while others may need to wear them for 24 months or more. Consistency matters; the more the aligners remain intact in the mouth, the faster you will notice their treatment results.

Unlike conventional metal braces, invisible aligners can be removed. However, you must have them on for at least twenty-two hours daily to achieve your desired results. Only take them out to drink, eat, and brush teeth. Also, unlike traditional metal braces, clear aligners fit discreetly and snugly over the teeth.

How Metal Braces and Aligners Correct Various Dental Problems

Metal braces and clear aligners work by putting continuous pressure on the jaws and teeth to alter their position and change the smile. For the metal braces, the brackets attached to the teeth support the wire in position, which puts pressure on the teeth. For clear aligners, a series of customized trays exerts pressure on teeth, aligning them. Over a given period, teeth shift into their proper place.

The soft tissues surrounding the bone and teeth are known as periodontal ligaments. The ligaments grip teeth in position and compress or stretch as teeth shift. When braces or aligner trays shift a tooth to the right, the periodontal ligament on that side compresses, and the new bone develops on the left to occupy the gap.

Rectifying an Overjet and Overbite

An overbite means a vertical misalignment of teeth. It arises when the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth more than they should. On the other hand, an overjet occurs when the top front teeth stick out or protrude horizontally outward more than they should. It is also called a horizontal overlap or buck teeth.

An overjet and an overbite may necessitate shifting the lower and upper teeth. To correct an overbite, a dental professional may use metal braces or clear aligners to move the top front teeth up or the bottom front teeth down, or do both simultaneously. Alternatively, they bring up the bottom back teeth to enable the lower jawbone to swing open.

To rectify protrusion or an overjet, your dental professional may move your front teeth forward, or lower teeth forward, or do both simultaneously, based on your specific circumstances. Braces and aligners achieve this by exerting pressure constantly to shift the teeth to the appropriate position gradually. As teeth shift, the shape of the surrounding bone changes to accommodate the new position.

Correcting Overcrowding

Tooth overcrowding happens due to the unusual jawbone and teeth relationship. It can either be that the teeth are extremely large to fit in the mouth or the jawbone is too small to accommodate all teeth. Metal braces and clear aligners shift individual teeth forward, across, and back to make sufficient space for the teeth to align side by side.

Sometimes, dentists or orthodontists recommend an expander to younger people with overcrowding to increase their jaw size. However, if palate fusion has already happened, an expander alone can no longer be an option. If so, small pins may have to be placed from the expander into the palate to help with the expansion process. Alternatively, you may need the assistance from an oral surgeon to incise either side of your top jawbone to help the expander expand the jawbone structure.

Dentists may also frequently consider tooth extraction an option to create more room. Your dental professional will review each option carefully, considering any problems that may arise.

Shifting Teeth Forward

Many people only think of clear aligners and metal braces as capable of pushing teeth toward the roof of the mouth. However, these dental restorations can pull teeth toward the lips too. In metal braces, a wire with shape memory can move teeth forward. The dentist bends the archwire to meet the bracket on the tooth. However, as time passes, it returns to its usual U shape, carrying the tooth forward.

Note that invisible aligners work perfectly for less severe cases of malocclusions. Complex dental cases of overbites, overjets, crossbites, underbites, and other malocclusions may still need conventional metal braces. Clear aligners can also correct minor spacing and crowding. You want to hear a professional’s opinion to see which type of braces is appropriate for your situation.

Comparing Metal Braces and Clear Aligners

Both clear aligners and metal braces rectify tooth position simultaneously and individually for an improved bite. Both need an in-depth initial examination by an orthodontist or dentist and periodic adjustments and check-ins. Also, clear and metal braces can fix gapped teeth, crooked teeth, overbites, and crowding. The primary difference between them is that invisible aligners can be removed, which is both a con and a pro.

Pros and Cons of Invisible Aligners

Invisible aligners are a popular option with grown-ups who wish to benefit from their fine appearance and removability. The removability of clear aligners poses both risks and benefits to dental health.

One of the pros of clear aligners is that patients need not worry about food being stuck in aligner trays, as they do with metal braces. This is because you can always remove them when you want to brush, floss, and eat. Taking aligners off when you want to drink anything that is not water also reduces the chances of liquids being trapped between the teeth and aligners, staining both.

However, you still must wear clear aligners for at least twenty-two hours daily for them to be effective. This does not cause any problem for compliant grownups, but it could undermine the dental restoration’s efficacy for younger people who may remove them when uncomfortable. The fact that a patient can take out clear aligners also means they can be broken or lost.

Apart from being removable, other pros for clear aligners are that they are invisible, offering a discreet treatment option. Invisible aligners are also comfortable, and treatment generally takes little time. On the other hand, another con of clear aligners is that they can be costly.

Clear aligners are ideal for compliant adults, people who wish to fix orthodontic relapse, and people with small gaps or minor tooth crowding. They are less suitable for minors, people with many dental bridges, and teeth that need raising or lowering.

Pros and Cons of Metal Braces

Traditional metal braces are highly effective for nearly all orthodontic problems. They generally work better to correct severe overcrowding or cases where the dentist must guide teeth down or up. Also, most orthodontists recommend braces for minors precisely as they are nonremovable and necessitate less frequent dental visits. Braces are also usually slightly cheaper, though they are generally comparable to invisible aligners.

Whereas traditional metal braces cannot be lost because of their removability, they can be subject to damage. The metal brackets can break, for example, due to eating hard foods or sports injuries, requiring an emergency dental visit. Metal braces can also make flossing and brushing challenging, and calcium deposits can sometimes remain on the front teeth' surfaces after their removal.

Treatment with metal braces can take a longer period in some situations. However, their primary disadvantage among most grownups is that these braces are so visible, making them unsuitable for people who prefer discreet options.

Find an Experienced Orthodontist Near Me

If you are exploring orthodontic options to correct bite issues, you can choose between metal braces and clear aligners. Both function to achieve the same goal of straightening teeth, even though the treatment period may vary, not to mention other pros and cons. You want to consult a qualified dental professional to know an option that best suits your needs.

At Beach Dental Care Anaheim, we proudly offer expert metal braces, clear aligners, and other dental services with the assistance of experienced dental professionals. Whether you are looking to straighten your teeth in Anaheim, CA, or seek advice on what treatment option is best for you, we are here to guide you through your smile journey. Call us at 714-995-4000 to share your oral healthcare needs.