Partial Braces
By Dr. Linda Niessen -- Baylor College of Dentistry STORY: PARTIAL BRACES SCRIPT #530 SHOOT: 10/8/03 DHC Master #18 Timecode: 35:24 NOTE: Partial braces aren't for everyone. If you have significant bite problems, there is no shortcut. You will probably need a full set of braces and it may take as much as two years of treatment.
Monday, November 03, 2003
More adults are improving their oral health by straightening their teeth. Many of them choose partial braces which cost less and come off quicker. Dr. Linda Niessen has more on partial braces in this week's Dental Health Check.
Instead of years of treatment, Bobbie Jo Shoemake spends just four months straightening her teeth. Orthodontic braces on the top and bottom teeth relieve minor crowding. "I just didn't like what I saw in the mirror anymore. Besides overall dental health, it was an aesthetic thing for me. I just wanted to fine tune and tweak just a few areas to get that smile back that I had."
Bobbie Jo chose clear brackets and wires on her top teeth and metal on the bottom. "People have said I didn't even notice that you had them on."
Orthodontist Dr. Jay Ghosh of Plano says some adults can be treated in six months or less with partial braces. "We started to put braces on just the front six teeth, assuming that their bite is otherwise normal. We started to align the teeth in six months or less. Many of them are out in three or four months.")
Jana Gurley straightened her bottom six teeth in four months. "I was going on a trip to the Bahamas Orthodontic Patient and I just wanted to get it over with. And as it turned out we got the braces off a day before we left on the trip."
Both Jana and Bobbie Jo had orthodontic braces as teenagers and wore retainers for about a year. They learned the lesson… "Wear your retainer forever."
Any time in your life, teeth can shift causing crowding, especially the front, bottom teeth. Dental insurance may cover all or a portion of the cost of adult orthodontic treatment.
Partial braces aren't for everyone. If you have significant bite problems, there is no shortcut. You will probably need a full set of braces and it may take as much as two years of treatment. For Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M System, I'm Dr. Linda Niessen Channel 8 News.
Dr. Linda Niessen, clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences and the Office of Communications and Development at Baylor College of Dentistry, hosts Dental Health Check, the only weekly dental feature shot on location in the nation.
