Metal Braces | Straighten Serious Misalignments

Traditional braces use metal wires and brackets to shift teeth into proper alignment. Over the course of your treatment, we regularly perform adjustments at our office. During these visits, we tighten the wires, which cause your teeth to move into the next phase of alignment. The typical treatment timeline is between 18-24-months. Traditional braces can correct various alignment issues, including: overbite, underbite, crossbite, gaps, open bite, and overcrowding.

Typically, for patients who require serious correction, wire braces are recommended since they can carry the necessary force to drastically shift teeth into proper alignment. However, for more discreet treatment, we may suggest ceramic braces or clear aligners, depending on your individual needs.

The greatest advantages for most patients is that braces can transform their smile, restore their self-confidence, improve their appearance, and offer many oral health benefits. By correcting crooked, overlapping, and crowded teeth, you can brush and floss more efficiently, chew more easily, and smile more confidently. As your bite becomes properly aligned, it can also relieve tension on your jaw which often causes discomfort if your teeth are not properly aligned.

To begin treatment, we attach brackets to the front of each tooth. Rubber bands are then wrapped around the brackets to place tension on your teeth. Finally, a metal wire is inserted to connect the brackets. Together these pieces shift and guide your teeth into proper alignment. Once your treatment goals have been met, your braces can be removed. You are then provided with a retainer which should be worn regularly to prevent your teeth from shifting out of place. Wearing your retainer as recommended is especially critical in the first few months after removal of your braces, since the hard and soft tissues supporting your teeth are not yet stabilized. Typically, you can reduce the frequency of how often you wear your retainer over time, eventually only wearing it at night or a few times each week.