1. Self-Ligation Braces
There are many different types of braces. Basically, braces are divided into two major categories: Traditional ligation and self-ligation. This basically describes the way the wire is attached to the brace. For traditional braces, the wire and the brace are attached by a ‘ligature’, usually a colored rubber band. This is stylish, but the rubber color works like a parking brake dramatically slowing tooth movement and requiring up to 500 times more force to move the teeth. Self-ligating braces have a little door built into the brace that holds the brace and the wire together. Don’t worry fashion conscious people; you can still decorate w/ colors. But, you don’t have the ‘parking brake’ effect on the teeth. This allows much lower forces necessary to move the teeth which is much more comfortable and creates much less local inflammation. Damon System self-ligating braces allow teeth and bone to move as a unit versus a tooth through the bone. This leads to healthier and faster tooth movement. Dr. Buchanan uses the self-ligating braces of the Damon System, Damon Clear, & Insignia custom braces.
2. Customization
Using very sophisticated robotic and CAD/CAM technologies, it is now possible to customize your braces just for you. Insignia Custom Braces are utilized by Dr. Buchanan. Insignia is composed of customized braces AND wires. Before treatment, the patient’s teeth are scanned into a computer using a Lythos digital scanner (no more yucky molds/impressions!!). Then, the teeth are digitally aligned by the Dr. Buchanan. Once the teeth are in the ideal position, the computer software engineers the perfect brace for each tooth based on the math necessary to move the tooth from crooked to straight. The customized braces are then applied to the teeth. By customizing the braces BEFORE they are put on, many of the adjustments necessary during treatment are eliminated resulting in faster and more precise treatment. Insignia braces are also ‘self-ligating’ which makes them work faster and move bone and teeth efficiently.
3. Be Compliant
During treatment Dr. Buchanan will ask you to wear rubber bands, come to your visits on time, brush your teeth well, and be careful with what you eat to prevent damage to your braces. The more compliant you are with these directions, the faster you treatment will go. Dr. Buchanan uses space -age wires developed by the NASA space program that are activated by heat. If you rinse with hot water and use hot water in your water pik and drink hot soups and beverages, your teeth will move faster. If you want your treatment to go super-fast, listen to Dr. Buchanan's instructions and follow them religiously!
4. See an Orthodontist
In today’s economy, many family dentists are looking to expand the services they offer to help their bottom line. Often times, a weekend class is the only requirement to start offering orthodontic treatment. Orthodontists are specialty trained dentists that have several years of specific, additional orthodontic training and then devote their careers to orthodontics only. Many products claim to offer faster treatment and have speedy sounding names like ‘Six Month Braces’ ‘Fast Smiles’ or ‘Quick Braces’ or even mail order aligners. These systems will make some teeth straighter but will rarely leave you with a good bite. Most people with bites that are off have increased risk of painful tooth and jaw problems in the future. Moving your teeth as quickly and safely as possible is tricky business. You need to rely on an Orthodontic specialist like Dr. Buchanan who has the knowledge to not only provide a fast result, but also deliver a quality result that will last a lifetime.