Hey there, this could be a VERY stupid question. I watched a lot videos on YouTube which shows how braces work. But I never understood how the braces pull and move the teeth instead of just staying there in the same shape it is put on. I can understand how it works when the brackets of an upper tooth and a lower tooth are connected using a rubber band. But how can the braces exert force on its on when put only on the upper or lower set of teeth? I mean, it’s metal which bends, and it is put on teeth which are bigger and probably stronger. Or is this any different type of metal which tend to come to it’s original state even if it gets bend?
Sorry for the bad English. Thank you!
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Teeth are not fused to the bone. They sit in a socket and are held in place with a connective tissue.
Braces are not tightened, rather the arch wire is changed out. The arch wire is basically a spring steel that is shaped to a specific size and shape.
Early in treatment, the stiffness of the archive is weak. The wire is bent and twisted and nested into the brackets on each tooth. They are usually anchored through tubes on the molar brackets.
The wire is held to each bracket with small elastics or in the case of daemon brackets, a small sliding flap.
As the wire tries to return to its original shape, it puts pressure on the teeth, which causes the connective tissue and surrounding socket to slowly change to the new position.
As treatment progresses, the arch wire strength is usually increased as the teeth get closer to their final position.
I am not a dentist or orthodontist, so I may be wrong.
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