Selection of proper orthodontic appliance for bite correction depends on several factors, such as patient’s age, the correction to be made, health, cost, and many others.
Fixed orthodontic appliances
Fixed appliances, such as traditional braces, are the most common type among orthodontic appliances. They offer many advantages over the other types of orthodontic appliances:
- Require less patient cooperation in comparison to removable appliances, which is especially important for kids;
- Achieve teeth movement (including crowns and roots) in both horizontal and vertical directions, as well as, rotation;
- Efficient movement of one tooth or a group of teeth – for example, for moving teeth to the space left after extraction or for creating a space;
The principle of teeth reposition using fixed orthodontic appliances is quite simple. Brackets firmly attached to the teeth surface act as a handle through which force to reposition the teeth is applied through the archwires. That allows efficient moving of crowns and roots in the same direction, as well as, in opposite directions, helps to slightly rotate the teeth and reduce overjets.
If appearance is your main concern, you can benefit from the recent technological advancements making fixed orthodontic appliances less noticeable and more appealing. Some of these advancements are:
- clear and tooth colored brackets;
- minibrackets;
- colored brackets and elastics;
- lingual braces, etc.
Removable orthodontic appliances
Removable orthodontic appliances are usually used for making simple tooth movement, such as making teeth to lean in a desired direction. They have to be worn for the most part of the day excluding meals and brushing.
Unlike traditional dental braces that apply pressure directly to the teeth, removable orthodontic appliances used to change the structure of the jaws and to retain repositioned teeth.
Removable orthodontic appliances are normally used before or after orthodontic treatment with braces, but rarely instead of.
Functional orthodontic appliances
There are different types of functional orthodontic appliances with both advantages and disadvantages. Since they can be removed at will, disciple and cooperation required from the patient to achieve positive results.
On the other hand, since they are removable, they do not cause decalcification of the enamel.