Dental braces (also known as braces, orthodontic cases, or cases) are devices used in orthodontics that align and straighten teeth and help position them with regard to a person’s bite, while also aiming to improve dental health. Braces also fix gaps.
What are braces and what do they do?
Dental braces are a way of straightening or moving your teeth, to improve how they look and how they work. Braces can also help you look after the long-term health of your teeth and gums and make eating more comfortable, by spreading the biting pressure across all your teeth.
Braces work by putting pressure on the teeth, to slowly move them in the right direction. As the pressure takes effect, the bone in the jaw changes to allow the teeth and their roots to move.
Why might I need braces?
There are many reasons why you might want, or be advised, to have braces.
Some of the most common reasons are:
- overcrowded or crooked teeth
- not enough, or too much, spacing between your teeth
- upper front teeth that stick out (called an ‘overjet’)
- lower teeth that bite too far behind your upper teeth (called an ‘overbite’)
- upper front teeth that bite behind your lower ones (called an ‘underbite’)
- the appearance of your smile