December 13, 2017
Are you familiar with the term, bone remodeling? Today, we’re going to explain how your braces move your teeth into their new position by looking at how bone remodeling works.
You might already know that braces are made up of several components; wires, brackets, and bands. These work together to apply gentle, consistent pressure to your teeth to shift them over a period of time. That’s bone remodeling.
You see, beneath your gum line, the teeth reside in the jaw bone, and the tooth’s roots are encompassed by a small space of gum tissue–the periodontal ligament–which are elastic fibers connecting the teeth to the bone.
This ligament compresses on each side of the tooth roots as the wires and brackets exert pressure on your teeth, causing them to loosen. This affects the alveolar bone in the jaw, which changes with the creation of new bone on one side (deposition) and the removal of bone (resorption) on the other side, to support the tooth in its new place.
When you come in for your routine orthodontic adjustments, our orthodontist will evaluate your progress, and then make adjustments to the archwires to maintain the necessary pressure on the teeth to cause movement. You will find that your adjustments are typically scheduled at six-week intervals. This is to allow the time needed for the teeth to move and to allow the bone to remodel and adapt.
As you can see, shifting your teeth is a steady process that produces results. To keep on track for your braces to complete treatment, be sure to keep all if our adjustments appointments.
If you have any questions, please call Victoria Lynskey DMD, MDS, Orthodontist in Santa Rosa, California at 707-525-1180. Our orthodontist, Dr. Victoria Lynskey and our team are here to help you create the smile you deserve!