Braces are the most common way to straighten your teeth and improve your smile. Braces are comprised of small metal or clear ceramic brackets and arch wires. The brackets are glued directly to the teeth using specialised glues and then attached to the arch wire with clear or coloured ligatures. Once the brackets are attached, the arch wire pushes or pulls each bracket (and connected tooth), gradually realigning the teeth. At each appointment, changes or readjustments are made to the arch wire. This process is repeated every 4-6 weeks over the 18-24 month treatment period.
Metal
These are traditional coloured braces most often seen on children and teenagers. Metal braces use a system of brackets and wires secured with coloured ligatures to move the teeth over time. We use the Master series from American Orthodontics – very high quality and comfortable metal braces with every colour ligature imaginable to choose from!
Ceramic
Clear braces are made of a ceramic material which closely matches the shade of your teeth. They work just the same as metal braces but are less visible on your teeth. At Cairns Specialist Orthodontists we do not charge extra for clear braces on the top front teeth.