METALLIC BRACKETS

What are metallic brackets?

They are the most common orthodontic treatment, prolonged over years. Made of high degree stainless steel, metallic brackets are placed on the front or back of the patient’s teeth to align them.

Their function is the same as for any other orthodontic system: to move the teeth to a correct functional and aesthetic position, improving the biting process and avoiding an incorrect positioning of teeth that hinders correct oral hygiene.

They comprise

• Arch. Used to provide the necessary pressure to the bracket and redirect the tooth to the position sought.
• Ligature. Links the bracket to the arch, allowing the latter to apply the necessary force. Ligatures can be made of metal or rubber, depending on the type of force required.
• Bracket. Used to mark the turn to be given to each tooth. They are not always placed at the centre of a tooth, since they depend on the direction that each specialist wants to give.

Despite the progress and innovation in the field of orthodontics, metallic brackets continue to be the most used thanks to their great versatility. Their effectiveness is beyond all doubt, since they help to place teeth in their correct position, something that cannot always be achieved with more novel orthodontic systems.

Types of metallic brackets

Progress in the area of orthodontics has led to an increasing number of types of brackets, especially metal ones, which are traditionally those that have been most successful among the population. They are the following:

Conventional ligature metallic brackets

The orthodontic technique par excellence. They comprise an arch, ligatures and the brackets themselves. In most cases, they are placed on the front part of the teeth, so they are visible to everyone and, since they are made of metal, they are also the least aesthetic, especially if they are compared with more modern alternatives.

Self-ligating metallic brackets

They are similar to conventional brackets, but they are not tied through any ligature. The friction of these brackets is minimum.

Lingual metallic brackets

These are much more aesthetic metallic brackets, since they are placed on the inside of the teeth and are not visible from the outside. They are more expensive than conventional metallic brackets.

Advantages of metallic brackets

Metallic brackets continue to be the most effective orthodontic treatment to correct teeth positioning defects, despite the progress and innovation in recent years in this area. Some of their most significant advantages are as follows:

• Great precision and excellent results. These brackets provide permanent support so teeth are aligned and straightened.
• It is the cheapest orthodontic treatment in terms of price-quality. They have excellent orthodontic quality with prices in line with the patient’s profile.
• Resistance. This type of brackets is more resistant than transparent brackets, especially in relation to certain materials, such as ceramic or plastic, which can break much more easily.
• They attach better to teeth and are longer lasting than other types of orthodontics and do not cause discomfort to the frenulum.
• Metallic brackets do not damage teeth or cause discomfort, since they do not have sharp edges.

Metallic bracket treatment phases

1. Study phase. As with other orthodontic treatment, the specialist carries out an exhaustive examination of the patient’s teeth to detect teeth alignment problems and correct them. In this phase, a full oral examination is carried out through scans, 3D moulds, intra- and extra-oral x-rays or photographs to provide a personalised diagnosis.

2. Active phase. Once the treatment to be used has been defined, the devices will be cemented. This phase consists of a series of well-defined actions:

• Dental prophylaxis to correctly clean all sides of the teeth to later isolate them and keep them as dry as possible.
• Subsequently, the dental surface is prepared through a procedure known as acid etching. The objective is to create a micro-porous area so that the metallic bracket can attach to the tooth better.
• Cement is placed on the bracket and this is fixed on the front side of the teeth. Afterwards, the remains are eliminated to give a polished surface.

Fitting of brackets. This phase can be carried out through direct cementing, placing the brackets one by one directly on the teeth of the patient’s mouth, or by indirect cementing, placing the orthodontics previously on the patient’s models. This is one of the most critical moments since, if they are not correctly positioned in terms of height and inclination, it is possible that the position of the teeth will not be adequately corrected.

3. Correction of bite and closure of dental spaces, which ends when the teeth fit perfectly together.

4. Frequent check-ups and completion. Once the objectives have been attained, the specialist may recommend that the patient regularly attends their clinic to determine whether the teeth are ultimately in their correct position.

5. Removal of metallic brackets. When all the orthodontic objectives have been attained, it is time to remove them, after which retainers must be placed to guarantee the conservation of the good results obtained.