The number one question I'm asked? "WHEN WILL I GET MY BRACES OFF?"
Unfortunately, orthodontic treatment time is limited, in part, by how quickly or slowly your bone can remodel, thus allowing your teeth to move. In younger patients that have significant growth and less developed bone, the teeth tend to move more readily than in older patients with more developed bone and little or no skeletal growth available. Some patients think that if the orthodontist "tightens" the braces more often, the teeth will move faster. Indeed, the teeth need force in order to move, however, there is an optimal force that moves the tooth most efficiently and increasing the amount of force beyond the optimal level may actually cause damage to the bone and surrounding tissues and slow down tooth movement. Newer wires developed over the last few years have allowed for more consistent, efficient, and even less painful tooth movement and has given orthodontists the ability to achieve the optimum force more consistently throughout most of your treatment. This has allowed for shorter treatment times, but not drastically....and certainly not enough to stop this age old question! There also is emerging evidence that may suggest that some of the newer types of braces developed recently can create less friction and therefore allow the optimal force level to be reached and maintained over a longer period of time, thereby moving teeth more efficiently. However, more research is still needed to substantiate these claims and, again, just how much treatment time can be reduced is still in question. SO, the best thing you can do to ensure your braces come off earlier than expected (or at least on time) is to not break anything, wear your appliance or elastics as prescribed, and keep your teeth and gums healthy. Then we'll talk about that magical
day!
Thanks for listening and remember... Go Bulldawgs... AND... it's a beautiful day... so... SMILE.
