Traditional Metal Braces in Santa Barbara

At Orthodontics of Santa Barbara, we understand how unappealing and uncomfortable an uneven smile can be. That is why we provide high-quality metal braces that allow you to achieve your dream of a perfect smile without spending a fortune.

What Are Traditional Metal Braces?

Traditional braces are metal brackets that are carefully placed on teeth with adhesive in combination with other components - such as elastics - to efficiently and effectively straighten and align your teeth.

Our traditional braces are expertly made using USA titanium and come in a variety of colors for the brackets and elastics to match your personality and taste.

What are Braces?

Braces are an appliance used by your orthodontist to help improve the alignment of your teeth and jaws, which improves the overall look and feel of your smile. There are several types of braces, including:

Traditional metal braces
Ceramic braces
Invisible braces
Clear braces
Lingual braces
Self-ligating braces

What are the Benefits of Traditional Braces?

If you have crooked or misaligned teeth, traditional metal braces may be the right fit for you. They remain the quickest and most trusted way to straighten your teeth over a matter of months.

They do a number of things to adjust your smile over the matter of months to correct the appearance and feel and offer many benefits including:

Metal braces are strong and durable
They correct even the most extreme overcrowding cases
They revive your confidence in your smile
They are the most affordable way to straighten your teeth
Metal braces are the quickest way to straighten your teeth
They can be highly personalized with colored metal brackets and elastics to enhance your appearance as your teeth are straightened

What Is The Process For Metal Braces?

After your initial consultation with us at Orthodontics of Santa Barbara, you will be scheduled for the placement appointment for your braces. Dr. Hamid Barkhordar will create a specialized care plan with you that fits your budget and schedule.

Next, you will come in for your placement appointment. This appointment will be longer than future appointments because of the detailed, personalized care you'll receive during the application of the traditional braces.

While here for your appointment, you will experience:

A thorough cleaning of the teeth
The conditioning of the surface of the teeth - preparing them for the braces
Cementing the brackets in place with non-toxic adhesive
Placement of the wires

Once your braces are fully placed, you will periodically return to the office for adjustments for your braces. These small adjustments ensure that your treatment progresses on schedule and guarantees your comfort during the process.

After your treatment, we will fit you for one of our customized retainers and you'll be able to show off your beautifully straight smile!

Can You Get Braces if You Have Missing Teeth?

When teeth are missing, an adjacent tooth can drift into the empty space, which causes functional, periodontal, and aesthetic problems. Orthodontic treatment helps to correct and prevent these problems as well as provide proper alignment that allows your dentist to replace the missing teeth.

Are Braces Painful?

When you first have braces placed, you may notice that your mouth and teeth are a little tender or sore. This is normal and will resolve quickly, once you are used to wearing braces.

How Long Do Most Patients Wear Braces?

Every patient is an individual with different needs, which means that the period of time that braces are required will vary from person to person. Treatments may take between six and thirty months, though the standard expectation is twenty-two months.

Do Braces Affect School Activities, Singing, Playing an Instrument or Speech?

When patients have braces for the first time, some adjustments will naturally occur as you become familiar with the feeling of braces in your mouth. This adjustment period is relatively short and the braces themselves do not interfere with participation in sports, musical endeavors, or other activities, including speech and singing. Mouthguards are recommended for participants of contact sports to help protect the appliance and teeth.

Do You Have to Brush Your Teeth More Often When You Wear Braces?

With braces, you need to brush your teeth three times a day to keep your gums, teeth, and mouth healthy. Brushing regularly also helps to remove any food that gets caught between braces.

You should also floss between your teeth daily. Your orthodontist and staff will show you how to do this properly while wearing braces.

Do You Still Need Dental Check-Ups Every Six Months When You Wear Braces?

Patients with braces especially need to see the dentist regularly. With braces, food can get caught in places that your toothbrush simply can't reach, which causes bacteria to grow. Bacteria leads to cavities, gum disease, and gingivitis.

Do You Have to Avoid Certain Foods When You Have Braces?

When wearing braces, you will need to avoid certain foods that can cause damage to your braces or increase the potential for tooth decay. Some foods to avoid include:

Sticky foods like gum, caramel, gummy bears
Hard foods like hard candy, nuts, and ice cubes
Foods that get stuck between teeth and in braces like corn on the cob, taffy, ribs, or popcorn
Sugary foods that can cause potential tooth decay around your braces

Why are Elastics Required for Braces?

Elastics - those small rubber bands that attach hooks protruding from brackets - serve the important function of helping your braces create the force needed to realign the jaw. Top and bottom braces are not connected to each other, so they have no way of applying the relative force to upper and lower jaws. The elastics provide the tension required to do this.

How Can I Treat Pain Caused by Metal braces?

To relieve any soreness, you should dissolve a teaspoon of salt into eight ounces of lukewarm water, then swish and gargle the solution for a couple of minutes. You can repeat this as many times as you like in a day or week.

Your lips, tongue, and the inside of your cheeks may also experience a little tenderness as you grow used to having the braces. There is wax available to put over the braces to help lessen the tenderness, if desired.

How Do You Care For Braces?

Someone from our orthodontics team will go over the basics of bracket care with you during your consultation. These instructions will go into depth on how to brush and floss, how frequently you will need to come in for adjustments, and any other concerns you may have in caring for your braces.

Discover That Beautiful, Confident Smile With An Appointment Today!

Our team is dedicated to helping you develop that perfect, straight smile. Call us at (805) 979-9070 to take that first step toward a straight, healthy smile.