Orthodontic treatment is popular for adults and children, and correcting and straightening teeth is a common procedure that many youngsters have done, once their adult teeth emerge. It is always carried out by a specialist in a Cardiff Orthodontic clinic such as https://cathedraldentalclinic.com/orthodontics-cardiff/ or one close to your location.
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Most of us are aware of what braces look like but are you aware of some of the technology and engineering that goes behind them? Keep reading types of engineering.
As dental technology has advanced, the use of metal bonding adhesive has proven effective to safely and securely apply metal braces to teeth. Just 20 years ago, bonding braces to enamel consisted of placing bands or rings around every single tooth, making the metal highly visible.
Preparation
Orthodontists follow a series of careful procedures when bonding braces to teeth. The preparation of the teeth is important, and can influence the effectiveness of the outcome. Scientists have discovered that conditioning the enamel of the teeth before the bonding process encourages microscopic changes to occur in the enamel, which enables the bonding materials to easily flow into the enamel.
Keeping the teeth dry is essential during orthodontic bonding. According to Pocket Dentistry, moisture contamination of pre-treated enamel can cause failure of the bond, or weaken the bond strength.
Whilst industrial metal bond adhesive, is able to tolerate water exposure, saliva can obstruct the bonding of orthodontic adhesive. An orthodontist, therefore, must make sure the surface of the teeth doesn’t come into contact with the tongue, cheeks or lips during the bonding process, by inserting a cheek retractor into the mouth. This also makes the mouth more visible.
Bonding process
The teeth are polished, conditioned and rinsed before the bonding process begins. They are then gently dried using suction and air. A primer is painted onto the teeth.
The backs of the braces are coated with a special bonding cement, before the braces are carefully applied to the teeth. The brackets need to be placed very precisely on the teeth to ensure a correct and comfortable fit.
The orthodontist carefully removes any excess bonding cement. If the bonding cement has not already been chemically cured, the orthodontist places a blue light over the glue to cure it. This is necessary, as some types of bonding cement can be sensitive to light.
The entire bonding process can take between 10-20 minutes, depending on whether the light needs curing and allowing for the correct positioning of the braces.
