The Goal of Six Month Braces
Most
patients seeking orthodontic treatment
have a chief complaint related to the
esthetics of their teeth. Although
some patients may have complaints related
to TMJ problems, headaches, or facial
profile concerns, the great majority
of patients want to improve their smiles.
The
goal of Six Month Braces is to give
the patient a great smile. Six month
braces is analogous to porcelain veneers,
bonding and other cosmetic dentistry
procedures. Instead of preparing the
teeth and bonding porcelain veneers
to them, the teeth are moved orthodontic
ally to their most beautiful position.
This is not to say that we do not change
the bite because we do, but the main
focus of treatment is the anterior
cosmetic of the front teeth. This usually
solves the chief complaint of the patient
and gives the desired result – a
great smile.
 
This patient
wanted a great smile and she got it…in
5 months!
How Do Six Month Braces Work?
Six month braces
is actually a combination of time tested
orthodontic techniques that have been
put together in a new and exciting way.
Some of the techniques have been used
for over 60 years and have been well
documented in the orthodontic literature.
These techniques were put together in
the 1980’s and the technologies to implement them have finally been made available. A key ingredient of the Six Month Braces procedure is the use of high-tech
arch wires. These wires exert a light
continuous force to gently move the teeth
to the desired position.
Will Six Month Braces work on me? My teeth are all crowded together.
The most common chief complaint of patients seeking orthodontic treatment is crowding. Crowded cases are treated very well with Six Month Braces. So how do we gain space to fit all the teeth into the arch? Most crowded cases have large teeth in a small jaw, or arch. In many cases simply rounding out and developing the constricted arch will give you enough room to align the crowded teeth.
In this case simply rounding out the constricted arch gave enough room to alleviate the crowding and give the desired result.
Some more severe cases will require enamel reproximation along with arch development to obtain the desired result. Enamel reproximation is gentle polishing between the teeth and is also called slenderizing or reprox. Repox has a 60 year history in orthodontics. It is a very conservative way to help alleviate crowding, it does not increase the incidence of tooth decay or periodontal disease and it can help increase long term stability of the final result by slightly flattening the contact points between the teeth.
The lower teeth had more crowding than the upper so a combination of reprox and rounding out the arch gave the desired result. Total treatment time was 7 ½ months.
Will Six Month Braces Work on Me if I Have Spaces, an Overbite, or an Under bite?
Six month braces will work on almost any type of case. I have personally treated all of the above case types with Six Month Braces. Other case types that can be treated with Six Month Braces include, but are not limited to open bites, deep bites, anterior cross bites, and cases that need orthodontics prior to veneer placement.
 
This patient had both crowding and an anterior cross bite. This case was completed in 6 months. This can do nothing but improve the self-esteem of this gentleman.
Are There Any Cases that are Not Recommended for Six Month Braces?
There
are actually few limitations in regards
to Six Month Braces. There are certain
cases that I do not recommend be treated
with Six Month Braces. Severe TMJ cases
are one example. Although there is
great controversy on the orthodontic/TMJ
connection, I generally do not recommend
Six Month Braces in these cases.
Having
said that I have relieved the suffering
of patients with both TMJ and migraine
headaches using Six Month Braces. This
just was not the main focus of treatment.
This often occurs in women aged approximately
40 years who have lingually tilted
incisors (incisors tilted back toward
the palate). This usually drives the
lower jaw backwards and can cause both
TMJ symptoms and migraine headaches.
Another situation where I might not recommend Six Month Braces would be in the case of a patient who is seeking a dramatic profile
change. Often times these cases are
best treated with surgery anyway. Having
said that we will often use Six Month
Braces as a sort of “dental camouflage” of
their underlying skeletal problems.
One
example would be in a case where the
patient has large overjet or extremely
flared incisors. In these cases we
will give the patient the option of
comprehensive treatment—perhaps with a surgical component—or
camouflage treatment options with Six
Month Braces. In the case of a large
overjet we would retract the flared
incisors to greatly reduce the amount
of overjet and to reduce any upper
lip flare. By concurrently opening
the bite (most of these cases have
deep bites) we often can minimize a
large chin button. On some of these
cases the patient has a small chin
and some will consider a chin implant.
The end result of the case is that
the overjet is GREATLY diminished.
The lower jaw may still be posteriorly
displaced, but most patients want overbite
reduction completed in these cases
and we get very nice results. In
most cases the patients are very pleased
with the results that camouflage treatment
can provide and forego orthagnathic
surgery.
So as you can see, although there are some limitations to Six Month Braces often times we can still use the technique to get a result that is pleasing both to the patient and the doctor.
 
Are
Six Month Braces More Dangerous Than
Regular Braces?
Do They Hurt More?
The
answer to both of these questions is
a resounding NO!
Six
month braces is safe and effective.
Six month braces is actually a low force technique. Many people think we just “tighten” the
braces like crazy to get the teeth
moving. That aggressive treatment would
actually slow down tooth movement
by crushing the supporting structures
around the teeth. This would also cause
pain to the patient.
We
use wires that exert a light continuous
force to move the teeth. This gently
moves the teeth in the most comfortable
way possible to their desired position.
I treat a fair number of relapse cases
with Six Month Braces and many patient
have said that Six Month Braces is
a far more comfortable procedure than
was their traditional orthodontic treatment.
I
am often asked if Six Month Braces
cause any damage to the teeth. The
question that is usually asked is: "Do Six Month Braces because more root resorption than regular braces?" Again
the answer is NO! Root resorption is
one of the most misunderstood aspects
of orthodontic treatment and it seems
to have the most myths surrounding
it.
I
have done extensive study in this area
of orthodontics so please let me shine
some light on the subject. The number one cause of root resorption is individual biology. In other words, you are either highly susceptible to it or you are not. In fact, there are numerous reports of teeth with root resorption on patients who never had orthodontic treatment. There
is great debate on the amount force
levels and root resorption. Some researchers
say there is a direct relation ship
between high force and root resorption
and others have shown little relationship
between the two. There is much more
agreement that there is a direct correlation
between root resorption and treatment
duration.
To say it another way, the longer you wear your braces, the more likely you will have root resorption. So back to the original questions: Do Six Month Braces hurt more than regular braces or do they cause more damage than regular braces? The answer is NO. Six month braces uses low force over a short period of time. This allows for a very comfortable treatment with a very low likelihood of root resorption.
Can Six Month Braces Use Clear Braces to Straighten my Teeth?
Yes,
the Six Month Braces technique allows
the use of not only metal braces, but
clear as well. For those patients who
want an “invisible” way
to straighten their teeth, Six Month
Braces can use lingual braces that
are placed behind your teeth. This
way you can invisibly straighten your
teeth in 6 months and no one will know
you are wearing braces.
 
This patient is wearing braces. They are behind her teeth so no one will see them. Her case will be done in 6 months.
Why
Hasn’t my Dentist Heard of
Six Month Braces?
Your dentist may not have heard of this technique yet, but he (or she) will in the very near future. I have been getting such nice results that I feel an obligation to teach the Six Month Braces technique to my fellow colleagues. I have written a book that will be released shortly. There will also be other instructional products including video tapes and I plan on giving seminars in the very near future so other Doctor’s can learn the Six Month Braces directly from me. In the mean time please feel free to visit my web sitehttp://www.sixmonthbraces.com/ This will help answer any additional questions you may have about Six Month Braces.
 
A dramatic life changing result was obtained in this case in just over 7 months.
Q and A Taken From Archwired's Metal Mouth Forum
Q: How often are adjustments with this technique?
A: Adjustment appointments are usually once a month some times every 6 to 8 weeks, but usually every month.
Q: Are there certain types of cases you can't do with Six Month Braces?
A: My treatment does include correcting open bites, deep bites and cross bites.
Q: Do you use special types of brackets?
A: I can use pretty much any bracket with this technique. I do use self ligating brackets in many instances but it isn't a requirement.
Q: What about extractions?
A: I generally prefer non-extraction treatment, but sometimes extraction can't be avoided.
Q: What about elastics?
A: Elastics are sometimes needed as with any orthodontic procedure.
Six
Month Braces™ is a registered
trademark of R.J. DePaul, Jr., DDS,
Inc. It can NOT be used without the express written permission of the trademark holder. For more information, contact Dr. DePaul at http://www.sixmonthbraces.com/.
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