ClearSmile is Australia’s answer to Invisalign. The concepts are very similar: clear aligners called Correctors are worn by the patient all day and night, except when eating, drinking, cleaning teeth and playing contact sports. Treatment is usually between 12 and 18 months and a patient can have anywhere from 12 to 32 aligners. ClearSmile is [...]
Can you imagine sensors like this in each of your teeth? If all goes as planned, that is how the braces of the future will be like. The Institute of Microsystem Technology (IMTEK) at the University of Freiburg has been developing smart brackets to address the need for monitoring movement of teeth. Smart brackets [...]
Eruption Guidance Appliances are molded polyurethane devices intended to guide teeth into the right positions as they erupt, typically in patients 8 to 12 years old. They can be effective in the short term for patients to whom they are recommended by orthodontists, when worn correctly. However, as the Australian Society of Orthodontists (ASO) warns, [...]
When debris and bacteria are trapped between the crown of the wisdom tooth and the gum, the peridontal tissues become infected, leading to periconitis. This is evidenced by swelling and pain of the cheek and lymph nodes, fever and bad breath. Dental caries may also develop because of the plaque buildup in the area between [...]
Wisdom teeth, commonly called third molars, are the last of the permanent teeth to come out around one’s late teens or early 20s. They are at the back of the mouth, which is why they often become impacted. Impacted teeth are teeth that cannot be pushed out from the gums and are therefore do not [...]
iBraces, developed by LingualCare, are invisible braces that are made of customized metal brackets placed behind the teeth, instead of in front of teeth as in regular braces. Each bracket is custom-made from impressions of your teeth, which are then scanned into a computer and CAD/CAM models are made. What’s great about iBraces are that [...]
When Fantasia made an appearance on last week’s American Idol results show, she was still wearing braces. Did it matter? The American public has gotten used to seeing her with them. Celebrities have made wearing braces and retainers in the public eye acceptable. Braces have been seen on actors such as Tom Cruise, Alyssa Milano [...]
Is the orthodontic headgear already a thing of the past? The face mask and headgear have become less common in recent years and we can expect cases requiring these to dwindle with the development of new orthodontic treatments. Miniscrew implants (MSIs) made of titanium allow the alignment of teeth and the jaw without the inconvenience [...]