Treatment You Can Trust

The most popular type of braces at Ghaffari Orthodontics are metal braces. This treatment has a long history of straightening smiles for patients of all ages in Vienna and the surrounding areas.

What Are Braces Made of?

Today’s braces are a distant relative of the clunky tin grins of the past. Modern braces are smaller and more comfortable than ever before with low profiles and comfortable edges.

Brackets

Dr. Ghaffari only uses the highest quality brackets from 3M/Unitek that are smaller and smoother to provide the ultimate comfort. These are made from a mix of stainless steel, nickel, and other metals.

Brackets have little hooks and doors where a wire is threaded. A bracket is secured by closing the door or by placing an elastic over the top of the wire.

Mouth-Friendly Glue

This is what Dr. Ghaffari will use to attach the brackets to your teeth. It’s common to attach the bracket directly to the tooth with oral-friendly glue.

Wire

This thin piece of metal runs from one bracket to another. Dr. Ghaffari will change the wire's shape and curvature to move your teeth in the right direction.

The wire will often attach all your bottom or upper teeth together. We may cut the wire if connecting just a few teeth is better for your treatment plan.

Elastics

Elastics are strung between an upper bracket hook and a lower bracket hook. This pulls your upper jaw backward to correct an overbite, or the lower jaw back to correct an underbite. We especially use rubber bands when we want to put extra pressure on the teeth or jaws.

Orthodontic Bands

We cement these stainless steel rings to your teeth using dental bonding agents. These bands secure your braces, but we don’t use them for everyone.

Spacers

If we need to create space between your teeth, we put spacers on the job. We use these small elastic “donuts” or rings typically before we place your bands are placed. You might also hear them called “separators”.

Elastic Ties

Dr. Ghaffari uses these tiny rubber rings or bands to attach the archwire to the brackets. Elastics are less rigid than spacers and you can get them in dozens of colors.

Metal Braces FAQ

How do braces work?

Before applying the brackets, Dr. Ghaffari will collect photos and X-rays of your mouth. Sometimes we’ll scan each of your teeth and the layout of your gums and mouth.

This process usually takes ten to fifteen minutes and provides a highly accurate 3D view of your mouth.

After the X-Ray and scan, Dr. Ghaffari will use this information to create your customized treatment plan. This will include how each tooth needs to move to get it in the best possible position.

Dr. Ghaffari will decide how to place the brackets based on this information. For example, if you have some teeth that need to be tilted, the placement of those brackets will be different than the placement of brackets for teeth that need to be turned.

Once we attach your brackets, Dr. Ghaffari will insert the wire. Bends in the wire will provide different types of pressure on different teeth. Most orthodontists create precise movements using this bend in the wire.

What can I expect from today’s metal braces?

At Ghaffari Orthodontics, we’re proud to offer the latest braces technology to our patients of all ages in Vienna!

In the past, metal braces have been known to be awkward and obvious. Thanks to technological advancements, they are smaller and more comfortable than ever before.

Sleeker brackets and lighter wires improve the appearance and feel of these braces. This means you’ll have less irritation in your mouth.

Traditional metal braces at Ghaffari Orthodontics also come with customized pops of color. The elastics that fit around your brackets come in a variety of colors so you can add some fun to your treatment.

Braces are great at fixing complex tooth issues. They can work faster at closing gaps and aligning teeth than other treatments might. This can shorten your treatment time.

Metal braces are cost-effective because they don’t require the more complex technology or expensive equipment that newer treatments do. The strength, durability, and affordability of metal braces keep them reliable for orthodontic patients in Vienna every year!

How long will I be in braces?

This is what all our Vienna patients want to know, but there is no concrete answer. Every smile is different and every patient responds to treatment in their own way. Treatment time with metal braces at Ghaffari Orthodontics will be different for each person.

The average time spent in metal braces is around eighteen to twenty-two months. This can be shorter or longer, depending on the individual and the treatment plan designed by Dr. Ghaffari.

We have some patients at Ghaffari Orthodontics in braces for as few as six months, but it can take over three years to complete the process for complex issues.

With metal braces from Ghaffari Orthodontics, you’ll see signs of improvement in just a short time, and that gives you confidence during the treatment process.