Type of Orthodontic Braces

Fixed Appliances
Fixed braces are fixed or permanently attached to your teeth for the duration of the active treatment. They consist of the ‘bracket’ which is ‘glued’ to the tooth,  the wire is then placed into each bracket which will result in all of the teeth being linked together, rather like a chain.  This arrangement subsequently allows each tooth to move correctly into a pre-determined position.  There are three types of fixed appliances:

1. Metal Fixed Appliances  The bracket is made from metal, these are the most common type of fixed brace.  These have no effect on speech and are very efficient at moving teeth. Some patients likes to personalise them by having their team colours arranged into the little elastics that hold the wire onto the brackets.  Alternatively, self-ligating braces for example ‘Damon’, ‘Smartclip’, ‘Innovation’ do not require elastics to keep the wire attached.

2.  Ceramic Fixed Appliances The ceramic is similar to the metal type above in all respects with the exception that the bracket is composed of a clear ceramic material.  Our adult patients tend to prefer these to minimise the ‘metal’ appearance. Their mode of action is precisely the same as their metal predecessors.

3. Incognito Braces Incognito similar to other types of lingual braces are also fixed. They are made of a gold material and are placed on the inside surface of the teeth next to the tongue. They are customised for each patient in an external laboratory and we fit them to your teeth as one single unit. They will affect your speech as they are very close to your tongue, however they do appeal to those in the ‘public eye’.

Removable Braces

1. Removable Braces  These are plastic plates that fit into the roof of your mouth with delicate springs and wires attached.  These attachments gently move the teeth and are often used as a holding appliance once the full extent of movement has been maintained.  They are removable for eating, cleaning and contact sports.

2. Functional Braces  These are removable braces use din growing adolescence and by capturing the power of the jaw muscles, they can improve the jaw relationship by working on the upper and lower teeth at the same time.

3. Invisible Braces  These systems use a system of almost undetectable ‘aligners’ instead of brackets and wires. They are made from a slim clear plastic and are similar to a very thingum shield. High precision, sophisticated software that utilises 3D scanning technology  is used to create an individual series of 5 – 40 aligners, depending on the complexity of each case. The aligners are usually changed every 2 weeks and by applying gently pressure upon the teeth in the direction needed, they gradually move the teeth into their final corrected positions. They are very difficult to see in the mouth and are easily removed for eating,brushing and flossing. They should ideally be worn at least 22 hours per day.

Combination Braces There are some difficult cases that would not achieve a satisfactory result from clear aligners/invisible braces alone.  In this cases we use a very short period of fixed braces to deal with the difficult part of the case and then we would use aligners to complete the case.

Post Treatment Retention

Retainers  Worn to maintain the fiished result when your braces have straightened the teeth.  They are a crucial part of your treatment.

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