Until recently, traditional brackets used in orthodontic braces have been one-size-fits-all. We now offer custom brackets made with 3D printing, called LightForce.
Customized brackets make sense, as we each have unique shapes to our teeth, such as rectangle, round, etc. Even in one person where you have a set of teeth, such as your canines, they may not be truly identical in widths and indentations.
Patients like LightForce brackets because they’re more comfortable. Moving teeth with braces is about force over time: the brackets and wire pull the teeth (albeit very slowly) to where they need to be. With custom-printed brackets adhering to each tooth’s unique contours, the straightening accuracy is improved. It also means less office visits for adjustments.
With LightForce, we start with a free consultation to determine eligibility. We do a 3D scan of the patient’s teeth, and then the brackets are printed out of a clear ceramic-type material called polycrystalline alumina. They are applied to teeth the same way as traditional braces.
Custom-printed brackets are the same cost as traditional braces as well as clear aligners. Aligner-tyle straightening is wonderful, but they aren’t always a good fit for each patient. Parents who opt for LightForce braces are looking for less office visits and increased comfort for their child, while getting the same great results from braces.
This smile is brought to you by:
Wade L. Haslam, DMD, PC
2657 NW Rolling Green Drive Corvallis | 541.757.2440 valleyvieworthodontics.com
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