Fixed Apparatus
Used to guide teeth in children-adolescents with permanent dentition and in adults of any age. They can be metallic and ceramic aesthetic (white or transparent).
The change is only in appearance and not in function or duration of treatment.
Metal fixed apparatus
These apparatus consist of metal brackets and Ni-Ti and steel arches. They can be selected by all patients who do not have a problem with the appearance of the metal apparatus.
Aesthetic fixed apparatus
These devices consist of transparent ceramic brackets and invisible arches, in the first months and then metal arches. They are very effective in treating orthodontic problems in adolescents and adult patients who want their apparatus to be almost invisible.
Age of treatment
Some anomalies (such as crossed bites; third skeletal classes; open bites, etc.) should be treated from childhood because, not only do they not have the possibility of self-regulation but over time they worsen. Some other abnormalities (mainly those of the teeth) can be treated even in adulthood.
The sooner an anomaly is diagnosed and the sooner the right moment of its treatment is resolved the safer the outcome. Parents should consult an orthodontist when the child is 6 years old.
Orthodontic treatments with fixed apparatus last from 8-24 months, depending on the problem and the apparatus used.
Orthodontic treatments do not cause pain but there is a short period (up to a week) of accommodating the patient with the apparatus and the light pressure he exerts on the teeth. In rare cases an analgesic (pain reliever) such as paracetamol may be taken.
