Adult Dental Braces for Correcting Teeth
May 31st, 2008
About 1 million Americans and Canadians over the age of 18 are getting tooth braces, adult braces.
Tom Cruise, Isaac Hanson, Jennifer Elise Cox, one of the stars of the Brady Bunch, and Canadian rock star EMJAY, have had tooth braces within the last years. Gwen Stephani from the band no doubt wears dental braces occasionally because they make her feel young. Many other famous people have had tooth braces.
As a result, general practitioners today are more familiar with potential concerns and special needs of their adult patients.
Reasons for Need Adults Braces Dental
Gaps, overlaps, crowding, rotated teeth — these are just some of the things your teeth can do to ruin your smile. Fortunately, these are all conditions curable by orthodontic appliances, or tooth adult braces (dental braces). Tooth braces are metal, plastic or ceramic devices that put tension on your teeth to shift them into a more desirable position.
Adult tooth braces can also correct maloccusion, or bad bites. Dental braces worn in conjunction with headgear can level out an overbite (when your top jaw is larger than your lower jaw) or an underbite (when your lower jaw is larger than your top jaw).
If you feel you may be a candidate for adult braces dental, talk to your dentist. He or she can refer you to an orthodontist, a dentist specially trained in tooth movement and dentofacial orthopedics.
Teeth can be moved at any age. So you can use dental braces at any age, adult braces are the same as other types of braces. Many orthodontic problems can be corrected as easily for adults as for children. However, since adults are no longer growing, treatment may take longer than it does for teenagers. The average adult wears tooth braces for 18 months to three years. After tooth braces are removed, you may need to wear a retainer to maintain the results of your treatment.
Types of Tooth Braces
Dental braces are custom-made appliances that are used to straighten crooked teeth, relieve pressure on joints in the mouth and align the upper and lower jaw. Tooth braces can be either removable or fixed. The kind of dental brace you require will depend on your particular problem. Your dentist will decide the best route for you or you may be referred to an orthodontist (a specialist in straightening teeth).
If your tooth brace is removable, ensure that you follow the dentist’s orders on when to wear it, otherwise the results may be poor.
Instead of metal, you can opt for clear or neutral-colored ceramic dental braces, or removable invisible aligners.
Metal dental braces, made of high-grade stainless steel and attached to the front of teeth, are the most common. Some patients may complain about discomfort from metal brackets rubbing against the skin. If you experience any pain or discomfort, ask your dentist or orthodontist for some dental wax to place over the brackets.
Clear ceramic dental braces are worn on the front of the teeth just like traditional steel tooth braces. Unlike metal dental braces, they blend with the color of the teeth for a much less noticeable appearance. They may look better but also may break more easily than metal braces.
Invisible dental braces are a series of clear, customized, removable appliances called aligners. Not only are these braces invisible, but they also are removable so they won’t trap food and plaque between your teeth like metal braces. You’ll wear each aligner for about two weeks and only remove it for eating, brushing and flossing. This may be an option for individuals with mild spacing problems.
Adaptation to Life with Dental Adult Braces
After you have had tooth braces for more than 6 months, your teeth get used to the extra pressure. At this point, an adjustment might not hurt at all, but usually your teeth feel sore for about a week afterwards.
With dental braces you probably will experience some discomfort or difficulty speaking or eating at first. Oral hygiene is extremely important at this time. Because of the difficulty in cleaning, the patient will be taught how to clean both dental brace and their teeth properly. An electric toothbrush, as well as normal brushing, is usually recommended. Flossing wearing dental braces is also essential.
It’s a good idea not to eat foods that can damage or dislodge tooth braces. Hard foods such as candy, raw carrots, corn on the cob, pretzels, nuts, popcorn and crushed ice are off limits. Sticky foods to avoid include caramel, taffy and gum. These foods can get stuck between teeth and gums or bend wires and knock bands or brackets loose. If this results in damage to tooth braces, treatment may be extended.
Dental Adult Braces Monthly Adjustments on Teeth
You will need to have your tooth braces “adjusted” every 4 to 6 weeks. When you arrive at your orthodontist’s office, the dental assistant will take off the old little rubber bands (ligating modules), then may also take off the wire. Then, a new wire will be put on, and new ligating modules will be applied. This can hurt a little, more from the pressure on your teeth than anything.
After an adjustment, your teeth can hurt for several hours to several days afterwards. This can range from that “hit in the teeth with a baseball” feeling to just a dull feeling of pressure. During these times revert to your “soft food” diet.
Overall, dental braces are not only for kids. No matter your age, it’s never too late to improve your dental health and beautify your smile.
Categories: Teeth
I think too many adults are fearful that having braces will cause an unwanted disruption in their lives. Unfortunately, that viewpoint is short-sighted. The long-term effects of correcting your teeth far outweigh the “nuisance factor” inherent with braces.
You know I might need something like this in the next few years. I’m 32 and I still have 2 baby teeth on the bottom each side and they really are quite big. My dentist says they might start to fall out in my mid-thirties and when they do there’s going to be 2 massive gaps! Hopefully the rest of the teeth may slightly move round but at my age I don’t hold out much hope. Adult dental braces here I come…
Adult braces are really useful when you want to correct your teeth. And a baseless fear factor such as fear of being hold in derision is really silly in the front of beautiful smile.
my daughter wants to put braces ,dentist adviced her to extract 2 wisdom teeth is it necessary to remove the wisdom teeth , what r the complications?
Magdaline, better to extract wisdom teeth if they are impacted or grow crookedly. In this case they may move all your daughter’s teeth. Trust your dentist :)
You may read here about wisdom teeth extraction complications and other things concerning wisdom teeth.
do they hurt really bad beacause im getting them soon!
Hello all. Im 31 and I’ve been wearing braces for 3 months. My teeth are almost straight now. I had 4 teeth taken out yesterday so that the others will have room to move backwards. The process of extraction took only 30 minutes and didn’t hurt much. I havent had any pain wearing braces. Sometimes they get a bit sensitive when I eat, but it’s not a big deal. Some people feel pain, some not. It depends how sensitive you are for pain. Sometimes pain is all in your mind, it’s how you are expecting to feel. Try to think how it will look at the end, and each uncomfortable procedure will be worth afterwards.
I must say I don’t look atractive but Im really looking forward to having a beautiful smile. No pain, no gain!!!
It seems in Europe adults are ashamed to wear braces. Where I come from is very commum at any age, even 50s. Maybe it’s a cultural thing.
If you don’t feel confident about your smile, don’t be afraid. Anyone can have it!!! It just takes a couple of years and you will have a nice smile for life. Love and peace to all. xx
i just had my braces last week and i saw this page. Its been uncomfortable esp the spacers, they were like fibers of meat that you shouldn’t take out(even if you really want to!!!) anyway, i saw a lot of my friends and other people who had braces and now their teeth are great and they smile often, if you want to have a better outlook in life, smile more, but what if your smile is not good, then get braces, its only a year or two of sacrifice (i know this may sound like its still a long period of time but compare it to the years of having nice teeth,) hopefully mine will be ok,and no extraction needed, guess my dentist wont to that, goodluck to the next
(im 21 btw)