Braces in Colchester: how they work
Having straight teeth has never been so important or so easy to achieve. We live in a time when we are reaping the rewards of the massive advances made in dental research over the past 30 years, much of it based on digital technology, and one area that has leapt forward is braces in Colchester.
Braces for everyone, no matter how old they are
Anyone can get their teeth realigned, as long as they are over about the age of 9. Jaw realignment is different, the ability to do this stops when people reach the age of 18 and the bone sets hard. But teeth can be moved around in the jaw no matter how old you are. That’s why, at Hello Dental, patients of all ages come to us for braces in Colchester.
How do teeth move in the jaw?
There is a simple mechanism going on when the teeth are being moved around in the jawbone. Putting sustained pressure on the tooth that needs shifting is the first step. This is what the braces in Colchester do, put on pressure and then keep it up. Once the same pressure has been applied for 72 hours the body responds to relieve it.
The jawbone starts to dissolve the bone tissue in front of the direction of pressure so that the tooth has somewhere to move to. Then it builds up the bone behind the direction of pressure so that the tooth does not come loose in its socket. The fibres that hold the tooth in place in its socket stretch a bit to allow the tooth to move.
The pressure wears off. At least it does unless something is done to keep it up. This why people with fixed bracket and wire braces in Colchester need to get their wires tightened every few weeks. It’s also why people with clear aligner braces, need to keep putting in new ones every 7-10 days.
Retainers
New bone takes time to set hard. Fibres take time to tighten up again. Until both have done so, there’s every chance the tooth won’t stay in its new position. That’s why everyone who has braces has to follow up treatment with wearing a retainer.
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