When you think about getting braces, are you both excited and nervous? Chances are, you can’t wait to get a beautiful smile. At the same time, you might be concerned about some aspects of the process, such as how long it will take or if you might need extractions. At Nasser Orthodontics in Shreveport, LA, we recommend the Damon System because it offers convenience and comfort. With these braces, you will love the results, and you won’t need to worry about the process.
What Is the Damon System?
An Advanced Approach That Corrects Orthodontic Issues
Damon braces straighten teeth in a way that is similar to traditional metal braces. However, they offer a few new advances. Like traditional braces, they involve a system of brackets and archwires. We connect the brackets to your teeth with a special dental adhesive that keeps them in place throughout the treatment. With this approach, you won’t remove anything from your mouth on a daily basis. The brackets then attach to archwires that apply pressure to straighten your teeth.
Throughout the course of your treatment, you will see your teeth become straighter and straighter. This happens because your mouth is malleable. The teeth shift in response to pressure from the wires. Simultaneously, your bone and gum tissue move to fill in the spaces left behind. This prevents your teeth from moving back into their original positions after your treatment. At the end, you will have a beautifully straight smile. Best of all, correctly aligned teeth are less likely to cause hygiene problems, injuries, and other health issues.
An Improvement Over Traditional Braces
How are Damon braces better than traditional ones? Traditional braces are a tough act to beat, so the fact that Damon braces are better is quite an achievement. For decades, traditional braces have been held up as the most effective means of straightening teeth in children and adults. They are durable, fast, and they can tackle almost any case no matter how severe. We have nothing bad to say about traditional braces, but if you want to benefit from the latest advances, the Damon System offers some exciting improvements.
The main difference between Damon braces and the traditional system is in the ligature. Ligature refers to the way the brackets connect to the archwires. In the case of traditional braces, the ligature is made up of the rubber bands that go around the brackets. Damon braces are self-ligating, meaning that they do not require rubber bands. Instead, the brackets have little metal doors that open and close, allowing the wire to slide in directly. Depending on your teeth, this can offer several major improvements:
- Faster treatment time
- Fewer appointments
- Greater comfort
- No extractions
- No need for expanders and other apparatuses
- Better hygiene
- A more subtle appearance
Why does getting rid of the rubber bands offer so many advantages? Read on, and we’ll explain.
Why Is the Damon System So Effective?
Less Friction
Almost all of the benefits of Damon braces come from the fact that they have solved the problem with friction. For your teeth to become straight, they need to move along the archwires in response to the pressure. With traditional braces, the elastics hold everything in place, but they also create friction between the teeth and the wires. This slows the process down. Damon braces reduce this friction by up to 99%.
Faster Treatment Times and Fewer Appointments
Less friction means that you will finish your treatment faster with Damon braces. This is good news for anyone who is excited to show the world beautiful new teeth. It also means less time in the orthodontist’s chair having your teeth adjusted. For people with busy lives, the convenience of wrapping up the process quickly with fewer appointments on their schedules is a major advantage. Some studies show that Damon braces can reduce the duration of your treatment by up to seven months.
Almost No Extractions Needed
Having a tooth pulled is something not many people look forward to. Sometimes, overcrowding of the mouth makes it difficult to achieve a proper alignment with braces. Many orthodontists pull some teeth to make space. With Damon braces, the teeth are able to move outwards more easily. This outward expansion creates space for the teeth that would otherwise need to be pulled. As a result, we can usually avoid extractions altogether.
Can Work Without Expanders
In addition to avoiding extractions, Damon braces can reduce the need for a palatal expander. When needed, this device fits across the roof of the mouth and widens the upper jaw to improve overcrowding. It is most commonly used in children and teenagers, but it can sometimes be recommended for adults. Many people prefer to avoid this apparatus because it is bulky in the mouth and can take six months to work.
By facilitating the outward movement of the teeth, Damon braces can work without it. This makes them an especially good option for adults because palatal expanders are more difficult to use after people have had their growth spurts. The reason for this is that adult mouths are less responsive to the treatment.
Greater Comfort
Delivering excellent orthodontic results without extractions or expanders means a more comfortable experience for the patients. Additionally, Damon braces can be adjusted more easily because they don’t have rubber bands. This means less discomfort during appointments.
Can Widen Your Smile
As well as helping you avoid extractions and appliances, the outward movement of your teeth can benefit the appearance of your smile. Patients with small palates sometimes show dark corners at the sides of their mouths. When Damon braces widen your teeth, they help to fill in these gaps. This creates the kind of broad, beautiful smile that the world loves to see.
Promotes Better Hygiene
Damon braces are easier to clean than braces with rubber bands. There are fewer places where food and debris can become trapped, meaning that they pose less of a challenge for brushing. Keeping your braces clean is extremely important if you want to avoid plaque growth and bad breath. With Damon braces, achieving good hygiene is easier.
Works Continuously
In addition to comparing Damon braces to the traditional system, we can see how they stack up against Invisalign. You may have heard about this popular method of getting straight teeth without metal brackets. It is another highly effective option for patients who need orthodontic care. However, the Damon system can offer the advantage of continuous treatment.
Patients who choose Invisalign need to remove their aligners for eating and cleaning. While this means that there are no food restrictions, it also means that care must be taken to wear them regularly. Patients who lose their aligners need to replace them, and people who don’t comply to leave them in 22 hours per day do not see results. By contrast, Damon braces work continuously because they stay in your mouth throughout the treatment. The fact that they are fixed to the teeth offers advantages to some people and disadvantages to others. Ultimately, the system you choose will depend on what is right for you.
Keeps All the Advantages of Traditional Braces
Damon braces have built on the traditional system, meaning that they kept all of the features that have made it incredibly effective for decades. First of all, they give orthodontists a lot of control over the movement of your teeth. As a result, precise shifts can be planned, even if the teeth are severely misaligned. Like traditional braces, they can be used to correct bite issues in addition to improving crooked teeth. Treatable problems include:
- Generally crooked teeth
- Gaps
- Overcrowding
- Overbites
- Underbites
- Crossbites
Second, they are made of very strong materials that will last throughout your treatment. As long as you avoid hard, crunchy foods, you don’t need to worry about popped wires or broken brackets. Finally, like traditional braces, they work quickly. In fact, they have taken this advantage and improved it.
The Aesthetic Advantages of Damon Braces
While many patients are drawn to Damon braces because they are so effective, they can also benefit your appearance during the treatment. Here’s why:
They Look More Subtle Than Traditional Braces
The rubber bands that are important in the traditional system stand out against your teeth if you choose colored ones. Damon braces make less of a visual impact because they don’t need the rubber bands.
They Won’t Turn Yellow
Many people try to make traditional braces less apparent by choosing clear rubber bands. Unfortunately, these can turn yellow with food stains before they need to be changed. Damon braces can help you avoid both loud colors and yellow stains.
They Are Small
Traditional braces used to be large and bulky, causing prospective patients to worry about how they will look. With all the contemporary advances in the field of orthodontics, we can now offer braces that are much smaller than they were before. This advantage applies to both traditional braces and the Damon system.
They Are Available With Ceramic Brackets
Ceramic braces are a clear version that can make your treatment look less apparent. While a little larger and more fragile than normal brackets, they blend in with your tooth color very well. For that reason, they are a good option for older patients who can take care of them responsibly. Some people choose to have them applied to the top teeth but not the bottom.
Schedule a Consultation
If you want to know more about why Damon braces are so effective, come in for a consultation. We can use models and other visuals to show you exactly how they work and how they can benefit your teeth. We can also assess your current condition to determine what alignment issues and bite problems need to be adjusted. After seeing you in person, we will be able to explain exactly how Damon braces will work for you.
The consultation is a great time to see our facilities and ask any questions you have. We will take the time to explain our treatments and review all of your different options. We look forward to meeting you.
The Damon System Provides Straight Smiles and Lots of Advantages
When you choose the Damon System, you benefit from the most state-of-the-art advances in the world of orthodontics. These braces offer advantages in many important areas. With Damon braces, you get all of the advantages of the traditional system plus the added benefits that come from reducing friction. If you want to straighten your teeth as quickly and easily as possible, Damon braces could be the perfect solution for you.
Contact Nasser Orthodontics in Shreveport, LA to learn more about Damon braces. We look forward to giving you perfectly aligned teeth and a beautiful smile.