Straight teeth

Patients will often ask me how orthodontists can move teeth. The process is really quite simple – we stimulate teeth to move by applying a constant, gentle pressure to the teeth. This force acting on the teeth stimulates the bone around the roots of the teeth to remodel.  The remodeled bone allows the tooth to move to a new position within the jaw and voila! – your tooth is now straighter.

How the force is applied to the tooth is important in determining the direction and rate of movement. With Invisalign aligners, one of the challenges of moving teeth can be making the aligner apply the correct force to the tooth in the correct direction.  Invisalign aligners do not grip teeth the same way braces do because the aligners are removable and slip on and off the teeth. Aligners are not bonded to the teeth like braces. While this is convenient, it also makes it challenging to apply the correct forces to the teeth for tooth movement. One of the ways we have created a work-around for the limitations of Invisalign is by bonding attachments to the teeth.   Attachments are little tooth-colored bumps bonded to the teeth. The attachments give the aligner a “handle” to grip the tooth and move it more efficiently like conventional braces would. This allows Invisalign aligners to get closer to the quality and speed of treatment results you might achieve with conventional braces by allowing for a better grip on the teeth and therefore more difficult tooth movements.

If you are interested in improving your smile and self-confidence, please contact our office and we would be happy to discuss treatment options with you to find out what would be the best way for you to achieve a beautiful, attractive and confident smile.

Orthodontic health can be defined as a healthy, active smile that is aesthetically pleasing, with teeth and jaws in good alignment.  October is orthodontic health month and a chance to focus on why orthodontic treatment can be a life-enhancing – even life-changing experience.  Have you ever known someone who covers their mouth when they start to laugh?  Whenever I see this happen, I feel bad for the person who is obviously embarrassed by their smile.  Of all the things about our health and appearance, crooked teeth are one of the easiest things to change and the one of the most powerful changes to observe.  And with good retainer wear, it is permanent!  Teeth don’t get wrinkled or saggy and with proper care and maintenance they will be beautiful for a lifetime.

You also don’t have to feel like you are being vain by seeking out orthodontic treatment.  Unlike some other cosmetically oriented procedures – orthodontic treatment actually improves the health of your teeth.  Well-aligned teeth and jaws have a lower risk of fracture, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.  Straight teeth are literally healthier than crooked teeth.  A beautiful smile does require braces or Invisalign in most cases – there are very few of us who are born with perfectly aligned teeth.  While the process of getting to that final amazing smile can take a bit of time and effort, it is well worth it.  Give Budd Orthodontics in Phoenix a call and let us get you on the path to a better you.  You will be so glad you did.  Happy Orthodontic Health Month!

The process by which teeth move is complicated, and many books have been written on the subject. However, there are a few general principles that will help you understand what is happening or will happen in your mouth. Both braces and Invisalign apply a very small, gentle push against crooked teeth which “wakes up” the cells in your jaw bones to make the roots around your crooked teeth start to straighten out.

There are two very important cells in your body that are mostly responsible for remodeling bone – an osteoclast and an osteoblast. The osteoclast is like a pac-man cell that eats bone. The osteoblast does the opposite – it builds bone. Together they work as a team to remodel the bone around the roots of your teeth. This is how an orthodontist changes your teeth from being crooked teeth to straight teeth.

By the way, teeth don’t know what is pushing against them. The “pushing” can be done by braces, Invisalign®, chewing on a pen, sucking on your thumb, or biting your nails. Things like braces and Invisalign® tend to push the teeth in the direction we want them to go (straight) while things like thumb sucking or constantly chewing on a pen tend to make teeth more crooked.

Now that you know more about how teeth move, you can focus on doing those things that will make your teeth straight and beautiful and avoid doing the things that will make them crooked.