Trend alert! Braces are back in fashion – at least that’s what some fashionistas are saying. Recently, these teeth fixers have been creating quite a style sensation among adults who want to look hip and rich. They don’t need them, they just want them. Intrigued by this increasing fad, Flair sought counsel and visited orthodontist Dr Anna Law to learn the truth about braces.
After giving a presentation recently at the University of Technology, Jamaica, to dispel claims that braces make you run faster, Law was super excited to chat with us.
Braces are cool! That’s one reason the doctor said patients give when they come to her to correct the ills that fashion braces have created. So, what’re the real reasons for getting braces?
“Braces is not for fashion. It’s a treatment. We recommend that people get braces if there is something wrong with their teeth, dentition (arrangement or condition of the teeth), temporomandibular joint (this acts like a sliding hinge that connects your jawbone to your skull), and how the face, teeth and jaws balance with each other,” she told Flair.
FASHION BRACES
Many persons have combined dentistry and style. You’re trending now and your smile is glamorous. But is this all that your braces will do?
“You could be ingesting poison and don’t even know. And they could be moving your teeth outside of the bone. Braces are intended to be worn for just a specific time to do its job. You don’t want them on for long term because they can cause shortening of roots,” Law said.
The orthodontist also told Flair that long-term periodontal disease, decay and tooth loss are also possible when one wears fashion braces. Law said at least three to four patients come in monthly to fix the problems brought on by fake braces. That’s because many fashionistas who rock these braces don’t clean them.
You may also be wearing fashion braces unknowingly. There are phoney practitioners installing fake braces. One way to identify the knock-off is if it doesn’t cover all the teeth, but sits at the front.
Only certified orthodontists can install braces. “Your dentist might not be an orthodontist. If your dentist is going to put braces on you, he or she needs to tell you that they are not a specialist but they can offer that service to the same standard. If they communicate this to you, by law they are doing it legally.”
Now think about it. Is destroying your teeth worth a little attention?
Dr Anna Law can be found at Align Orthodontics at 53 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston 10. She can be contacted at 876-978-0440.
Story by: Rocheda Bartley
rocheda.bartley@gleanerjm.com
