
Fixed Braces
Snö Dental offers the most comprehensive types of fixed orthodontic braces on the market for children, teens, and adults to fit any type of lifestyle and budget.
Braces, or dental braces, as referred to by Doctors, are wire-based attachments that are used to correct teeth or jaws that are crowded or unequal. Dental braces are used to straighten your teeth and jaws, resulting in a more even bite and a pleasant smile.
Braces consist of brackets, orthodontic bands, spacers, arch wires, and the ties that connect the arch wire to the brackets.
Fixed dental braces can be placed either on the buccal (outside) or lingual (inside) side of your teeth. Your Snö Specialist Orthodontist, Dr Roelien Stapelberg, will make sure that whatever fixed brace treatment you select will fit precisely, according to your needs, and be as discreet as possible in appearance. Although fixed dental braces require more work than the popular invisible aligners, fixed aligners offer a higher level of control, leading to higher precision than a treatment with removable dental braces.
Who is a good candidate for braces?
Teeth braces or appliances may be beneficial if your teeth are crooked or misaligned. Aligning your teeth and jaws is beneficial to your dental health as well as your appearance. Another advantage of braces is that they improve the way you bite and chew.
Before you can get braces, you’ll need to have healthy teeth and gums. This is important, to avoid tooth decay or gum disease whilst you wear your braces. Treatment lasts anywhere from 6 months to 2 years, with orthodontist appointments every 4 to 6 weeks.
No matter how old you are, it is critical to address any issues with your teeth. That’s because your bite—the way your top and bottom teeth come together—is affected by the position of your teeth and jaws. An incorrect bite not only alters your appearance, but it also impacts your ability to eat properly and keep your teeth healthy, affecting your quality of life.
If you have any of the following bite issues, you may be an excellent candidate for braces:
Crossbite:
Is a condition in which one or more of your upper teeth bite in the opposite direction of the natural spot to meet. This can cause the individual teeth to grind away with time, and can cause your jaw joints muscle pain and joint sounds.
Overbite:
Your top front teeth cover too much of your lower front teeth, resulting in an overbite.
Overjet:
Is the protrusion of your upper front teeth. In other words, your upper teeth stick out.
Underbite:
Your upper teeth are positioned behind rather than in front of your bottom teeth.
Types of orthodontic dental braces available at Snö.
Clear Braces
Often referred to as Ceramic Braces these tooth-coloured braces are made of semi-translucent material and are vaguely noticeable, providing a less obvious alternative to fixed metal braces. These braces are a very popular orthodontic treatment choice with both our teen and adult patients, due to their cosmetic appeal. They work in a similar way as traditional fixed braces, using a thin wire to gently move your brackets and teeth. While ceramic braces aren’t as discreet as removable clear aligners (such as Invisalign®), they are excellent at straightening teeth.
Metal Braces (Traditional Braces)
Straight Wire braces are the most common type of braces used by orthodontists.
These braces consist of brackets that attach to the front of your teeth or bands that wrap around each tooth, as well as flexible wires or archwires that connect the brackets or bands to each other. Rubber bands or metal ties are used to connect the brackets to the wire in some braces, which apply greater pressure to your teeth to help them straighten and align. Depending on your bite, your orthodontist may require you to wear a headgear or other bite-correcting device that adds pressure to your teeth and helps the bite correction process. With these braces, you can create your own colorful combination of elastics for your braces.
Invisalign®
Invisalign is the most contemporary orthodontic braces technology to straighten misaligned teeth in an almost invisible way, without wires or metal braces. Invisalign is an extremely popular type of braces, frequently referred to as invisible braces. These are transparent plastic trays that fit over your teeth, they apply gentle pressure to your teeth to move them into the proper locations and straighten your smile. You can take out the aligners to eat, brush, or floss, but they must be worn for at least 22 hours per day to be effective. To keep the aligners comfortably in place, the orthodontist will apply tooth-colored attachments to your teeth. Clear aligners require discipline and care to be effective.
Removable Braces
Removable braces click onto your teeth and can be removed when necessary. This type of orthodontic brace is usually only used for the upper teeth and is limited in its capabilities and are customized to your unique anatomy.
Lingual braces:
These braces have brackets on the back of your teeth that face your tongue. Lingual braces are more difficult to notice and are more often chosen by adults or working professionals.