Self-ligating braces: Effectively straighten teeth without the cleaning hassles and other challenges of elastics
Ligating: To tie or join something together. With conventional braces, elastics and bands are applied to help to move the teeth. They provide just the extra force that your braces – this system of brackets and archwires – need to straighten and move the teeth gradually.
With the “self-ligating” option, these braces do the “heavy lifting” themselves. The brackets in this system are designed with unique mechanisms that function as ties to retain and support the archwire. These features allow our patients at SHN Orthodontics in Mission Viejo, California, to effectively straighten their teeth without the hassle of ties (You can still add the colors for fun).
Our orthodontist, Dr. Shannon Hilgers Nissen, will first evaluate your or your child’s teeth to recommend the most appropriate option. In addition to the potential ease of cleaning braces without bands, elastics, or “ligatures” getting in the way and trapping food particles, patients who undergo treatment with self-ligating braces may also enjoy:
- Minimal friction
- Greater freedom of movement due to the “free-sliding” effect of these specially-designed braces
- Enhanced comfort
- Shorter “check-ins” with Dr. Nissen (as individual ligatures do not need to be replaced during each visit)
- Faster adjustments (you will still need adjustments at our office because these are still braces, after all)
- Potentially longer periods between recall visits at our office
- Good oral health throughout treatment because teeth are easier to keep clean than with non-self-ligating braces
Additionally, these braces too can be made from a variety of different materials. Now, there is no single treatment that is universally appropriate.
Getting Braces: What It Feels Like, What They Look Like & What to Expect
Hi, my name is Dr. Shannon Hilgers Nissen, and I’m an orthodontist in Mission Viejo, California. Today, I’m going to take some time to answer some of the most common questions that I get from some of my younger patients. Does getting braces on hurt? Nothing we do in the office that day is going to hurt. You might feel some pressure, sometimes some tightness, and if you’re getting any new braces on or new plans, in the evening that night, maybe around dinner time, you might feel a little tender and not want to eat anything too sticky, chewy, or hard. We oftentimes tell you for the first couple of days to stick to smoothies, mac and cheese, rice. Ice cream is good, too. And after a couple of days, the soreness goes away. We tell you to take an Advil or Motrin, and that helps, especially with sleeping at night. Actual act of getting braces on does not hurt. We sort of put them on like stickers. But in order to put the braces on so they stick well, we have to make sure the teeth are really clean, and the glue that we use sometimes tastes a little sour. Some patients like it, some patients don’t like it, some patients are just sort of neutral on it. A lot of my patients, the younger ones, tend to like sour flavors, so they don’t mind it a whole lot. Another one of my favorite questions to answer in our office is: What do the braces look like? In our office, we use both metal or clear braces. My patients tend to care a lot about colors, so we have all sorts of colors that the braces can come in. Oftentimes, people come in with their favorite color combination. But I also explain that you don’t have to have colors. You can just leave your braces metal and just put silver around them, or you can do our clear braces, which look something like this. They’re really pretty. A lot of adults like them, and you don’t really see them when you smile too much. And finally, one of the most common questions I get asked in our office is: How often are you going to come in to see me? Most patients, depending on the type of braces we choose, will come in every eight to ten weeks to have their braces adjusted. Essentially, that just means that we take out the old wire and place a new one that’s a little bit stronger to keep you moving along. If you’re an Invisaligner Spark patient, meaning you have clear aligners, we oftentimes see you every eight or nine weeks to check on your progress and give you your new set of aligners.
SHN Orthodontics treats a diverse range of patients with an equally diverse line-up of services and treatment options. Our specialist in Mission Viejo, CA, looks forward to discussing ways to achieve and sustain your or a loved one’s healthiest, most confident smile—call (949) 830-4101 to schedule a consultation today.
