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Why it's done
By Mayo Clinic staffDental braces offer corrective treatment for:
- Overcrowded or crooked teeth
- Too much space between teeth
- Upper front teeth that overlap the lower teeth too much — either vertically (overbite) or horizontally (overjet)
- 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.
Adults and braces
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 longer than a younger person would, 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.
References
- Why do people get braces? Academy of General Dentistry. http://www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/abc/article/?abc=w&iid=322&aid=1304. Accessed Feb. 8, 2013.
- Braces. American Dental Association. http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/b/braces.aspx. Accessed Feb. 8, 2013.
- Guideline on management of the developing dentition and occlusion in pediatric dentistry. American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry http://www.aapd.org/media/Policies_Guidelines/G_DevelopDentition.pdf#xml=http://pr-dtsearch001.americaneagle.com/service/search.asp?cmd=pdfhits&DocId=360&Index=F%3a%5cdtSearch%5caapd%2eorg&HitCount=15&hits=1b+43+df+1f7+222+3b3+679+72a+bec+c47+ce3+1611+18a8+1dc8+1ee5+&hc=69&req=occlusion. Accessed Feb. 8, 2013.
- Can adults wear braces? Academy of General Dentistry. http://www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/abc/article/?abc=c&iid=322&aid=1303. Accessed Feb. 8, 2013.
- Orthodontics align crooked teeth and boost self-esteem. Academy of General Dentistry. http://www.knowyourteeth.com/infobites/abc/article/?abc=o&iid=322&aid=1301. Accessed Feb. 8, 2013.
- Bonnick AM, et al. Technological advances in nontraditional orthodontics. Dental Clinics of North America. 2011;55:571.
- Possible biomarkers for root resorption in people with braces. National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/Research/ResearchResults/ScienceBriefs/Archive/SNIB2009/August/RootResorption.htm. Accessed Feb. 12, 2013.
- Volz JE (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 20, 2013.
- Carr AB (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Feb. 25, 2013.
- Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary. 32nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders; 2012. http://dorlands.com/index.jsp. Accessed Feb. 28, 2013.
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