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Dental hygiene tips for healthy teeth & gums
How many wires do you need for braces?
Dental braces have an archwire wire( made of the thin metal piece) that runs across brackets attached to your teeth. The wire’s ends may be attached to metal bands wrapped around the back of molar teeth. Dental braces consist of two archwires. One is on top, and another is at the bottom. This archwire works the mechanism that assists and makes the movement of teeth. These wires are used to shift your teeth into their correct positions.
Types of Arch Wires
Archwires are commonly built of stainless steel, nickel-titanium alloy, and beta-titanium alloy for braces. Depending on the treatment type, these wires are made accordingly for teeth shape and braces brackets.
- Nickel-titanium IS the most elastic material for archwires, best used in the early stages of tooth alignment. It is the most preferred and recommended option for braces.
- Stainless steel may be considered part of the treatment as it is durable, metal, and easy to adjust. However, they may not be used in initial therapy because they aren’t particularly flexible.
- Beta-titanium archwires are a mix of stainless steel and nickel-titanium in terms of strength and elasticity. Your orthodontist will change to stronger, less elastic archwires when your teeth straighten or move into place.
Benefits and Risks
- Benefit: An orthodontist adjusts the archwire to apply pressure regularly. This archwire slowly pushes or pulls your teeth and jaw into the desired position to get the desired teeth alignment, and this is how a dental brace functions to get teeth alignment.
- Risk: These wires also have many risks and disadvantages of popping out and causing injury to the mouth or lips, affecting your treatment. You may break your archwire if you’re wearing braces. A snagged wire can pierce the interior of your lips or cheek, causing discomfort, wounds, and blisters. If your archwire breaks, contact your orthodontist right away, and they can put a new wire in place of the broken one.
Schedule your appointment with a dentist today and get the treatment on time!