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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffDental braces offer corrective treatment for:
- Overcrowded or crooked teeth
- Prominent upper front teeth (overbite)
- Upper front teeth that bite behind the lower ones (underbite)
- Other jaw misalignment problems that cause an uneven bite
Proper alignment of your teeth and jaws may improve not only the appearance of your teeth, but the way you bite, chew and speak. Teeth that fit neatly together are also easier to clean and maintain, which means they're less prone to plaque formation, cavities and gum disease.
Adults and braces
Adults may think that braces aren't for them, but braces can help solve some of the same problems in adults that they do in children, including crooked teeth and misaligned jaws. If you're an adult with braces, you may need to wear them a while longer than a younger person might, but they can still produce similar results. Because your facial bones are no longer growing, however, there may be some problems that can't be corrected with braces alone.
- Why do people get braces? Academy of General Dentistry. http://www.knowyourteeth.com/print/printpreview.asp?content=article&abc=w&iid=322&aid=1304. Accessed June 11, 2010.
- Braces and retainers. Cleveland Clinic. http://my.clevelandclinic.org/devices/dental_care/hic_braces_and_retainers.aspx. Accessed July 27, 2010.
- Today's orthodontic treatment. American Association of Orthodontists. http://www.braces.org/learn/Straight-teeth-are-healthy-teeth.cfm. Accessed June 11, 2010.
- Barbara Woodward Lips Patient Education Center. Orthodontic instructions. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2010.
- Harrison JE, et al. Orthodontic treatment for prominent upper front teeth in children (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD003452.
- Braces and orthodontics. American Dental Association. http://www.ada.org/2598.aspx. Accessed June 9, 2010.
- What is malocclusion? American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. http://www.aapd.org/publications/brochures/maloccl.asp. Accessed June 10, 2010.
- Littlewood SJ, et al. Retention procedures for stabilising tooth position after treatment with orthodontic braces (Review). Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2006:CD002283.
- Heasman P. Master Dentistry, Volume Two: Restorative Dentistry, Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Limited; 2008:283.
- Carr AB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. July 26, 2010.
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