Orthodontic Blog - Fresh Orthodontics

Anyone who has had orthodontics on has wondered what their apparatus is made of, and probably asked even before getting the braces put on. Usually the ones that are made of steel are made of some sort of surgical steel alloy. There are four types of these alloys, and I will now go on to speak about each of them a little bit, to give an idea of how they work, what they are made of, and why.

Orthognathic has been performed as a part of routine skeletal surgeries since the 70s. It is a scary thought to most people, as the correction of skeletal anomalies usually invokes images of doctors with saws, and even the mention of skeletal reconstruction makes patients wince in imagined pain. In reality these surgeries are as routine as tonsil removal or appendectomies; they are safe, involve a minimum of pain felt only during recovery (if felt at all), and an incredibly low risk of infection.

When you get into medical science as a career, it is understood that you will have certain ethical responsibilities towards your patients. This means that you try and give the soundest medical advice and do everything in your power to help the person in need, even if that means that you have to advise an option that will not make you, the doctor, the most amount of money. And this general ethical principle expands to every facet of medicine, even ones as trivial as cosmetic dentistry.

After Damon braces were introduced and the patent ended, more and more orthodontic companies began making braces that claim to be self-ligating, without giving much explanation as to what this means. Is this a good thing? How does this affect my treatment plan? Do I need self-ligating braces? If I do not get them, how will ligation, whatever that means, happen? Does it need to happen? These questions are the ones I wish to clear up in my article.

Although there are guidelines as to what can and cannot be eaten, they are by no means extensive, and something you thought does not need to be on there, or is not on there at all may get caught in your braces. When this happen do not panic! First try to remove it yourself, and if it seems impossible, go and get an appointment with your orthodontist as soon as possible.