Dentalnews (en)

Does it matter what type of braces I use to fix my teeth?

Yes, because each type has its own pros and cons.

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Removable braces only work when a child is still growing, when it’s still very young.

Aligners do practically nothing to fix teeth which are twisted out of position, especially cuspids.

The lingual technique cannot be used in many cases.
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So which treatment is right for you?

Your orthodontist (a dentist who specializes in braces) can tell you. A „real“ orthodontist is one who has done at least for years of special training and now concentrates on doing „braces“, he or she even gets somebody else to pull teeth.

Although dentist are legally allowed to provide orthodontic treatment, this type of treatment usually lasts a long time (over 2 years) and may cause damage to the teeth or periodont.
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Ask your orthodontist what type of training he or she has done!

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More on the topic of “invisible” braces here!

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Our immune system has millions of micro-organisms and viruses to fight every day!

Usually it wins, if not then it doesn’t take long to find out – we get sick. Our bodily orifices are a gateway to pathogens. This is why the largest openings  (mouth, rectum, genitals, ears, nose) are equipped with special „defense stations“ used by our immune systems, e.g. the ones in the mouth, the tonsils.
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But let’s talk about the smaller „orifices“ for a moment, such as the nails or teeth. Teeth are usually „joined“ to the gums; there is normally no hiding place for bacteria in a healthy periodont. However, this changes in cases of inflammation of the gums.
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The inflammation destroys the tooth-gum complex, moreover blood vessels „swell“, and all this makes it easier for the bacteria in our mouths to get into our blood vessels. Doctors call this „transient bacteraemia“, which can be fatal to patients with a heart condition. This is because:
Normally bacteria are destroyed by the immune system, unless the bacteria manage to escape detection by the immune cells in time. Bacteria especially like doing this in „thrombotic vegetation“. This is a kind of „blood crust“  in the blood vessels.

Mainly consisting of blood corpuscles, this structure usually forms in places where the flow of blood is somehow obstructed. These „disturbances“ either occur naturally, as in the case of congenital heart defects, or they can be acquired, e.g. when a patient has artificial heart valves, or artificial vessels.
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If bacteria manage to get into our vessels, they can “hide out” in these blood crusts and are safe from our immune cells. When immune cells float by they don’t really„pay attention“ to blood crusts, as they are a part of the body. The immune system only attacks foreign elements. But inside the blood crusts, the germs can multiply until there are so many of them that they start to disperse. The immune system is no longer capable of fighting off the invaders by itself – and depending on where the germs are, organs in that part of the body can become infected.
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Regular dental cleaning perfomed by a professional makes your teeth and gums more resilient, reduces the harmful germ flora in your mouth, and can even protect your heart, as stated in the title!

More on the topic of dental cleaning here!

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