Braces have been a part of many people's awkward adolescence lives. But did you know that the ancient Egypt have been making these teeth straighteners awkward since then? Some of the very first braces unrefined designs found on mummies in ancient Egypt. They were made of cord from animal skin that looked like a bronze wire attached to the teeth. It was actually the Romans who first attempted to straighten teeth.
Nowadays, I see a lot of people wearing their favorite mouth accessory - braces and retainers. Either they use it for teeth alignment or use it for beautification. In 2014, I happened to know a person from a common friend which he claimed to be an expert of making removable retainers that looks like braces. He said he worked with many dental clinics in Cebu and made retainers for their clients. One retainers usually costs 3,500 pesos from the clinics but for his direct clients he charged only 500 pesos for one retainer. Amazing, isn't it? But is it safe?
Retainers are usually made of straight wire wrapped around the front teeth but I wondered why people wanted to wear retainers that looks like braces because of its bracket designs. I found out that these people who wear retainers even without proper advice from an Orthodontist just wanted to beautify themselves and make it as a teeth accessory. (Shookt!)
In the United States, 60% of Americans have dental cover as part of their insurance plan but in the Philippines we have nothing like that unfortunately. So many young people today resort to a dangerous short cut to achieve that perfectly straight teeth.
D.I.Y BRACES
Dental experts issued warnings about people who do Do-It-Yourself braces. They use cheap elastic bands to straighten their teeth which can cause permanent damage to their gums and teeth loss. There have been a lot tutorials about these risky act on Youtube. These people claimed that their parents couldn't afford to bring them to the dental clinic to close the gap between their teeth so they turned out to fix it themselves.
Some people went too far on putting braces by themselves! A Filipina has now suffered from a severe orthodontic problems after using an improvised dental braces. The story circulated around Facebook in 2016 after she had a very cheap braces from a non-professional orthodontist. It was said that this patient wanted the dentist to grind her teeth to achieve the same level of the other teeth. The dentist made a fake dental treatment to the patient that resulted to this:
Braces are used for health-related reasons but most of the time they are used for cosmetic purposes. According to dentists, installing braces can be really difficult that it needs proper test and analysis before fitting it to you. If you want to have one, make sure to seek a professional for proper caring of your teeth and for your safety. A dentist usually recommends braces to improve a patient's orofacial appearance and not as an accessory. The length of time to wear these braces depends on your treatment plan. Dentists are also responsible for every dental treatment, diagnosis, examinations or some orthodontic procedures. So if you go for a fake dentist with fake braces, then good luck to you and to your teeth!
Retainers are usually used right after taking off your braces. Why?
According to Dentakit, these will keep your teeth in place after wearing braces. It takes almost a year for the periodontal ligaments to solidify into their new positions after your braces are removed. That's why it is important to use retainers exactly as your orthodontist directs not as you wish to wear it anytime.