"How to Put On A Set of Braces"

Do you have a child that has a cross bite, overbite, or just crooked teeth? Have you ever wondered about the process of putting on a set of braces? Or how long it takes? You are in luck! Today I am going to explain the process to you. You see, I used to be a Registered Dental Assistant and I worked as an Orthodontic Assistant. I put braces on children and adults and had a lot of fun doing it.

The first thing is, your child will come in for a consultation exam, which is where you and you child will meet the doctor, your child will have her teeth measured, get her bite checked and discuss her treatment plan.

If you decide to go ahead with the treatment, the next step is to have some x-rays and impresstions for study models taken. These are for diagnostic purposes only so the doctor can see your progress as your teeth change throughout the process, you will have more impressions and x-rays taken at the end of your treatment as well. Your child will have a cepholametric x-ray taken, this type of x-ray shows the profile of your childs head. The next type of x-ray that your child will take is a panoramic; this shows a frontal view of your child's face. After that, it is time to take the impressions. This part is very easy, your child will have to sit back and relax while the assistant fits your child's mouth for trays (this will hold the impression material). After the assistant is done, she will let your child pick out a flavor that the assistant will mix in with the impression material. Since the impression material sets up very fast, she must mix the material quickly. The assistant will fill one tray at a time and put on in your child's mouth holding it there until the impression material has set up. When the assistant has finished with both trays, your child can go rinse.

At your next appointment, it will be time to put on the braces. The assistant will start by pumicing all the teeth that are to be worked on (pumice is a mild, gritty, sandy substance that cleans the teeth). Next, the assistant will etch your child's teeth. Etching the teeth means that you are preparing the teeth for the primer. The assistant will do this by brushing the blue gel on your child's teeth and leave it there for 30 seconds. She will then rinse and dry the teeth. The assistant will then prime the teeth. Primer is the substance that you use to prepare the teeth for the glue. The assistant will use a micro brush to brush on the primer to each tooth and lightly air dry each one. The next step is to apply the brackets to the teeth. The assistant will apply a drop of glue to the back of each bracket and apply them to the teeth. The orthodontist will come over and make the final placement of the brackets and the assistant will take the light cure gun and hold it 1-3 mm. away from each tooth and turn it on for 5 seconds per tooth. The glue will instantly harden.

The second portion of putting on braces is to fit and cement the bands. This is done by trial and error or by the eye. The assistant will know if she has the right size because the band will fit snug around the tooth and it will slide halfway, and she will have to seat the band with a bite stick the rest of the way. The bite stick is what your child will bite on just a few times to make the band fit securely in place. Once the assistant has the right size bands, she will put about half a dime size of the cement into each band one at a time and place it on the tooth, which is on one or more of the back molars. The assistant will then wipe the excess cement off of the teeth and light cure the bands until the cement is set.

Once all the cemented appliances are in place, it is time to put in the arch wire. The arch wire is a small, thin wire that comes in different strengths and connects from bracket to bracket and fits into the bands to ligate the teeth together. Finally it is time to place the ligating ties or rubber bands; these hold the arch wire in place. The assistant will then check for any poking wires and make sure that your child is as comfortable as possible. She will go over home care instructions such as brushing, flossing, what not to eat, and what to do in case of an emergency. Last on the list is to make your next appointment, which will probably be for an adjustment, and it will usually be in 6-8 weeks.

The process for putting on a set of braces usually takes an hour and a half and an adjustment takes 20 minutes. The whole treatment time for braces can take up to 1-2 years.

So, if your child has an overbite under bite, cross bite, or just a crooked smile, it is going to be alright. You now know the process for putting on a set of braces. Do some research and call around before you choose on specific orthodontist.