If your teeth are misaligned or crooked, braces are one of the most popular options you can choose to straighten them. They help align and straighten your teeth over a period of time and are a safe and reliable way of doing so. Whether you have crooked teeth, underbite, overbite, crossbite, or other kinds of flaws, braces can correct them while at the same time improving the health of your teeth.

Traditional braces can be used to realign crowded teeth, crooked teeth, misaligned bites, and jaw problems. You will need periodic adjustment and tightening of your braces to gradually change your teeth and jaw alignment as necessary. Usually, braces are worn for about 2 years.

Traditional braces consist of metal brackets attached to your teeth with dental adhesive and connected by the archwire. Ligatures refer to the small elastic bands around each bracket, which secure the wire in place. These come in many colours and can be mixed and matched to give you a colourful smile while you get your teeth straightened! Clear elastics are also available to help your braces be more discrete. Rubber bands that connect your top and bottom rows of teeth may also be used with traditional braces. While the brackets, ligatures and wire move your teeth along the gum line, rubber bands are responsible for shifting your jaw into alignment if they are misaligned. They can also help to speed up the process of shifting your teeth.

Braces commonly cause ulcers as the brackets may rub against the tissue inside your mouth. To make braces more comfortable, orthodontic wax is recommended to reduce the friction inside your mouth. This will help reduce the incidence of ulcers.

If your case requires the extraction of teeth (usually in order to make space for your teeth to be repositioned), traditional braces would be more effective.

Also, the effectiveness of invisalign is heavily dependent on the conscientiousness of the user. If the user does not follow the recommended guideline (eg. repeatedly forgetting to put on invisalign after meals or removing invisalign for an extended period of time), invisalign would be less effective as compared to traditional braces. This is why we recommend traditional braces for younger patients.

Invisalign tends to be more expensive than traditional braces in general.

Invisalign requires a visit to the dentist every 6 weeks while traditional brace requires a visit every 4 weeks.

You should steer clear of foods that are hard, crunch or sugary. Sugary foods can lead to plague build up around your braces, which could either stain or damage your teeth permanently.

Brushing your teeth with braces is similar to when you are without braces.

These are the general guidelines:
1. At least twice a day
2. For 2 full minutes
3. Replace your toothbrush at least once every 3 months
4. Brush all surfaces of your teeth

Some extra care is needed for cleaning between teeth however, as the archwire makes it slightly challenging. For this, we recommend using an interdental brush, which is available at our dental clinic. This is a thin brush between 0.7mm and 1.00mm that fits between teeth to help you keep your teeth clean on all surfaces. An alternative method that will help keep the space between your teeth clean is using a floss threader to help guide the floss between your teeth while you floss.

Ceramic braces are similar to traditional braces in shape and size, except the brackets are made of either tooth-coloured or transparent ceramic. However, they are more expensive than metal braces and the brackets can stain easily if not properly cared for.

Traditional braces consist of metal brackets attached to your teeth with dental adhesive and connected by the archwire. Ligatures refer to the small elastic bands around each bracket, which secure the wire in place. These come in many colours and can be mixed and matched to give you a colourful smile while you get your teeth straightened! Clear elastics are also available to help your braces be more discrete. Rubber bands that connect your top and bottom rows of teeth may also be used with traditional braces. While the brackets, ligatures and wire move your teeth along the gum line, rubber bands are responsible for shifting your jaw into alignment if they are misaligned. They can also help to speed up the process of shifting your teeth. Recently Mini Screws or TAD (Temporary Anchorage Device)s can be used to accelerate orthodontic treatment or aid in more complex movements.