Self-Lighting Brackets - Invisalign Vs Candid

The first of them are made of acrylic and wire,  invisalign vs candid on a plaster model cast on the basis of an impression taken in the patient's mouth. The patient puts on and takes off the braces himself, wearing it for a certain number of hours a day.

The second type - fixed appliances - are brackets (small metal, porcelain or composite elements), glued to each tooth separately, connected by a metal arch. Once the braces are put on by the orthodontist, they remain on the teeth until the end of treatment. Permanent appliances are glued to the labial and cheek surfaces of the teeth - most often. There are also those that are attached on the side of the tongue, and then we talk about the lingual technique. This technique is more difficult, much more expensive and therefore mostly rarely used.

Treatment

For several years, a lot has been read and talked about the so-called non-ligature or  self-ligating locks . Especially on  invisalign vs candid internet forums they function as the better ones, giving the possibility of fewer visits and shorter treatment time. This is the name of the most promoted creator of self-ligating locks. The potential patient has already selected the most appropriate type of apparatus for himself. 

WHAT ARE SELF-LIGATING BRACKETS AND ARE THEY, AND IF SO WHY, BETTER THAN OTHERS? 

As already mentioned, the brackets glued to the teeth are connected by a metal arch, the so-called working arc. It is inserted into a horizontally lying slot in the brackets, called a slot. So that the bow does not fall out, it is attached to traditional brackets, with a metal or elastic ligature (these are colorless or colored rubber bands on the brackets.) Depending on the stage of treatment, we want this metal arch to move loosely in the bracket gap or to fill it very tightly. 

 In the first situation, pressing the arch against the lock with a tight ligature limits the possibility of sliding, especially in the case of an elastic ligature. Therefore, a lock was invented and developed in which friction is reduced as much as possible. It is equipped with a kind of a flap that opens and closes when replacing the bows with a suitable tool. Wire, if the breech slot is clearly larger than it in cross-section, it slides in the breech slot with minimal resistance. This fact is supposed to accelerate the treatment. In addition, self-ligating brackets are advertised as those whose use guarantees avoidance of tooth extraction during orthodontic treatment. 

WHAT'S THE TRUTH? 

As always, it lies in the middle. In fact, when using brackets with a larger slot (22 instead of 18), the working bows are thicker in cross-section and hence the force exerted on the tooth is much greater. Additionally, by using specially wide shapes of arches, you can widen the dental arch to a greater extent. The problem, however, is that you can only expand safely within the physiological limits set by the bone structure in which we operate. Contrary to what you can read in the advertisement, this bone does not grow. So there is a high probability of setting the teeth outside the bone, which is very dangerous. Therefore, if there is a large lack of space in the dental arch, even self-ligating brackets will not help.

As for the shortening of the treatment time, in fact, minimal friction, especially in the first stages of treatment, accelerates the movement of the teeth. These braces distinguish themselves from others by being small and low, and therefore very comfortable for the patient. However, the most interesting idea, clearly increasing the advantages of the lock, is the unique shape of the horizontal slot, i.e. the slot. Well, the edges have been cut at both ends, allowing for almost unlimited maximum deflection of the working arc. This is especially useful when there is a large difference in tooth positioning. You can see how such a camera works in the presented photos. 

Do these locks have any disadvantages apart from their advantages? Unfortunately, they are more expensive than traditional ones, which is due to the more complicated structure. In addition, a delicate mechanism can be damaged by, for example, tartar build-up. The lock can then be replaced or ligated traditionally. As for reducing the number or frequency of visits, it can be assumed that in simpler defects it is possible, as is the relative reduction of the treatment time. 

In every situation, however, one must be aware that the techniques and types of braces used during orthodontic treatment are selected individually on a case-by-case basis.