When we think of braces, we imagine a child or a teen with them. Rarely do people know that braces can be beneficial irrespective of age. Another lesser-known fact is that these are good not just for straightening teeth or delivering a great smile but for oral health in many ways.

There is orthodontics for all ages solving different problems, and these solutions need not be expensive. For example, your affordable traditional metal braces have a host of advantages to offer:

The need for speed! They work quickly

Handle your traditional braces with the care they deserve, and you can have the outcomes you need in a surprisingly short time. You may be able to see great improvement in your teeth alignment in just a year, while others may need a three-year treatment to rectify misaligned teeth. The effect lasts a lifetime, so it’s a win-win situation for you to go with traditional metal braces.

One of the most recommended options for complex orthodontic issues

Traditional braces are among the most recommended orthodontics for all ages. They are effective in realigning teeth, plus a variety of other orthodontic issues. Be it gaps between teeth, a misaligned bite, teeth protrusion, or overcrowding of teeth, traditional metal braces can give you effective solutions that are permanent.

In fact, they can help even with cleft palate and cleft lip. Since they allow precision correction, these are popular orthodontic solutions. The dentist can individually correct and adjust each tooth as it needs to be corrected to give you the perfect solution for your dental problem.

Strong and durable

Traditional braces are resilient and will usually last as long as you need them, which could be years. They last through chewing almost all the foods you are likely to eat through your treatment phase and survive without bending or flexing through some vigorous brushing too. Of course, handling them with care ensures longer life and better functionality.

There are very few changes in your lifestyle that are necessitated when you use these metal braces.

Encourages and improves routine dental hygiene

These are orthodontics for all ages, and with younger children especially, they may help establish a more regular and more systematic oral hygiene routine. You have to adopt a proper brushing routine to keep your braces clean and use flossing thread to clean between the teeth. You also have to eat the right foods that are not just helpful in keeping your braces safe and clean but also good for your overall oral health. These good oral health practices stay with you for life, even after you remove the braces.

Your oral health is very important at each stage of your life. If you adopt healthy dental practices early in your life, you’ll be able to keep not only your dental health but also your overall health as well.

Metal braces are also affordable and effective, making them easily accessible to anyone with an orthodontic issue that needs resolution. Since these are durable and resilient, anyone from any walk of life, even those with very active lifestyles, can comfortably manage with metal braces. Ensure that your dental treatment is disruption-free, seamless, effective, and pocket friendly with traditional metal braces that are the perfect orthodontics for all ages.

Do you have a broken wire in your traditional metal braces? Jill Seladi-Schulman explains the causes, precautions, and remedies. And Woodlawn Orthodontics guides us through the next steps. (Source: Healthline, What to Do if Your Braces Wire Broke and Is Poking You, by Jill Seladi-Schulman, medically reviewed by Rooz Khosravi, DMD, Ph.D., MSD, March 1, 2021, https://www.healthline.com/health/dental-and-oral-health/braces-wire ).

The causes

Traditional metal braces are convenient orthodontic solutions. But there are a few reasons that can cause the archwire to break. According to Jill Seladi-Schulman, it includes eating sticky, crunchy, or hard foods, prodding your traditional braces, and injury.

Woodlawn Orthodontics elaborates, “There are several reasons why traditional braces wire breakage may occur. Some of the most common causes are mentioned below:

Biting down on hard or crunchy foods: Eating hard or crunchy foods like popcorn, ice, hard candies, or nuts can cause excessive pressure on your braces, leading to wire breakage.

Trauma to the face: A blow to the face during physical activity or an accident can cause the archwire to break or bend.

Poor oral hygiene: Not keeping your teeth and braces clean can result in the accumulation of plaque and food debris. This can weaken the wire and cause it to break.

Changes in tooth position: As your teeth shift and move during orthodontic treatment, the archwire may become misaligned, leading to breakage.

Natural wear and tear: Over time, the wire may become worn or weakened due to the stresses of everyday use, leading to breakage.

The precautions

Jill Seladi-Schulman suggests that to reduce the likelihood of wire breakage, consider taking the following measures:

Brush gently: Use a soft bristle toothbrush to brush your teeth after each meal. Rinse your mouth thoroughly to remove food particles stuck in your braces.

Use floss to remove trapped food: If food becomes trapped in your braces, use floss rather than a toothpick or your fingers to remove it. A floss threader can be beneficial in this situation.

Avoid certain foods: Refrain from consuming foods that are hard, sticky, or crunchy, as they have the potential to cause damage to your braces.

Use a mouthguard during sports activities: A mouthguard can protect not only your teeth but also your braces from harm during physical activity.

Woodlawn Orthodontics agrees, “Wire breakage in traditional braces can cause pain, cuts, or sores in the lips or cheek. These could be reasons like biting hard foods, trauma to the face, poor oral hygiene, changes in tooth position, or natural wear and tear. To reduce the risk of wire breakage, one should use a soft-bristled toothbrush to brush gently. Remove stuck food using floss or a floss threader. Avoid consuming sticky, hard, or crunchy foods, and while playing sports, wear a mouthguard to protect the teeth and braces from damage.”

The remedies

Jill Seladi-Schulman states that in the event of a break in the archwire, it is essential to seek orthodontic solutions to remove the broken wire. If a part of the wire has moved out of place, your orthodontist will make adjustments to put it back in place. It is not recommended to remove a broken or displaced wire on your own, as this can jeopardize your treatment and lead to injury.

Woodlawn Orthodontics guides, “For a temporary solution to a wire on your traditional braces, use orthodontic wax to cover the wire. You can also push the wire back into place with a pencil eraser and use a cotton ball or gauze to cushion the affected area. Also, you could carefully cut the wire using a clean nail clipper or cuticle cutter.”

Jill Seladi-Sculman reiterates that if you wear braces, it is feasible to encounter a fracture in your archwire. This can result in discomfort, cuts, or sores if the broken wire pokes into the inside of your lips or cheek.

Woodlawn Orthodontics concludes, “It is crucial to seek orthodontic solutions immediately if your archwire breaks. However, suppose you are experiencing discomfort from a broken wire that is poking you. In that case, there are temporary measures you can take at home to alleviate it. Ask your orthodontist what to do in these circumstances. Taking precautions to safeguard your traditional metal braces can help prevent wire breakage.”