Braces are a peculiar kind of dental device that promotes better oral health. This is a device that helps straighten teeth. I had braces some years back. There was some pain from time to time, but I was able to get over it. I was glad to get braces as they helped me get straight teeth, and now I do not need to worry about it again unless my teeth get too crooked. I do have a permanent bottom retainer that will keep those teeth straight. I had a retainer for my upper teeth, but I had misplaced that right around when my braces got off.
The application of braces seems to be a relatively simple one. When you go to the dentist, if the surgeon there decides that you need to get braces, they will refer you to an orthodontist who can perform this procedure. When you get recommended, it is best to go to the advised office. When you arrive there, you will need to fill out a healthy amount of paperwork. Once that paperwork is filled out, they will call you back for a consultation. They will clean your teeth if need be and get X-rays. Additionally, they will put spacers on your molars.
After a week, you’ll be required to go back for your braces application. This procedure can take anywhere from forty-five minutes to an hour and a half, maybe longer depending on the orthodontist. When you are put in the chair, they will clean your teeth one last time before they apply the braces. Once the cleaning has been done, it’s time to apply the braces. A special glue is applied to both the tooth and the stud that is going to sit on it. Once applied, a unique tool that speeds up the drying is used, and within a few seconds, the glue is hardened. This is done for each and every tooth till completion. Once all the studs are on the teeth, the band is applied. This is where the pain starts to come. As the band is put in, it snaps into each of the studs, which is not a pleasant feeling.
Once the metal band is in place, rubber bands are placed over the wire and slipped into a groove on the brace studs. This process is done at least once every two months over the course of half a year. I personally never got used to the pain or feeling of the band being taken out and replaced. Each time this is done, a slightly tighter one is used to draw the teeth in closer and closer. On the bright side, you can choose the color of rubber bands that are used. Hooray right? Once the time is up for you to wear the braces, the removal of the braces is quick. A tool like pliers is used to quickly and pain-free remove the brace studs. In my personal experience, as well as friends, the stud will leave a shiny white tooth showing while all around it is a slightly yellow tooth. Not to mention the feeling of sliding your tongue across your teeth is something you will probably do for a few weeks.
Braces are a great oral health invention, even if it is a bit painful. The good thing is that they help you fix a crooked smile you were once ashamed to show. I am glad to have gotten braces today, even though it was a challenge for my mother to convince me to follow through with it.
