Braces

I'm not going to miss wearing the braces very much - America Ferrera

Braces

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Braces, Pointless and Essential

For much of my childhood, around once a year or so, my parents would drive me across town to a new orthodontist’s office, where they’d receive yet another written recommendation for braces to send to our insurance provider. After the company inevitably declined to cover the cost, for any one of a dozen reasons—my teeth were moving too much, or they weren’t in enough disorder, or they were in too much disorder to make braces worthwhile without some surgery—we’d immediately start strategizing for the next year.

Today, some 4 million Americans are wearing braces, according to the American Association of Orthodontists, and the number has roughly doubled in the U.S. between 1982 and 2008.…

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Resources

Brace Yourself

Why we want — and how we get — straight teeth.

The Ultimate Guide to Brushing Your Teeth with Braces

Brushing your teeth is a habit you’ve had ingrained since early childhood, so it’s fitting that people sometimes compare other good routines to dental hygiene. But once you get your braces, this seemingly simple habit becomes more complex.

America’s obsession with perfecting its teeth

Cosmetic dentistry now represents the largest nonsurgical beauty industry after makeup. This includes the multibillion-dollar teeth-whitening business, which began in earnest in the 1990s with dentists applying peroxide gel directly to the teeth; soon they incorporated blue LED lights to accelerate the process.

Are Braces Necessary?

These days, orthodontists charge anywhere from around $5,000 to a shocking $13,000 for more extensive correction. Maybe it’s time to rethink the whole endeavor.

Don’t Do It to Yourself... Until You Read This First

When it comes to DIY treatment decisions, the doctor patient relationship is devalued, or as described here practically eliminated. This could seriously compromise your health. Bottom line: Don’t mail order brides or braces!

Straighter Teeth by Mail

Critics of the fledging phenomenon argue that prescribing aligners to patients sight unseen risks overlooking oral health issues that can compromise orthodontic treatment. And, experts say, aligners are not appropriate for everyone, even if companies suggest they can correct advanced crowding, in which teeth overlap or are twisted, for example.