Braces & Headgear: Safety Instructions

By Tala Limaz

A beautiful smile is a treasure to be proud of. As a person who concerns about his work image & his love life you should care about your smile. And as a person who wants the Best for his children you should take care of their teeth & the beauty of their smiles. In order to achieve that you might need orthodontic braces. Braces have several types & mechanisms & you are going to learn now about what is called headgear, its uses & how to use it safely.

Headgear is used with braces sometimes as a source of resistance to the forces generated by the braces or to achieve a tooth movement. In order to achieve true tooth movement by the headgear, prolonged wear over the years of active growth is required, followed by prolonged wear of the retainer. Perhaps not surprisingly, most of the patients are unable to sustain this level of cooperation.

Tragically, several cases have been reported where severe injuries to the eyes, including blindness, have occurred owing to accidents with headgear. Since that time various methods of increasing the safety of use of headgear with braces have been introduced.

It would now consider negligent to use headgear with braces without safety features. Headgear must be fitted with two safety mechanisms & you must follow the following safety instructions:

  • Wear the braces & headgear as instructed.
  • The headgear must never be worn without the safety mechanisms attached.
  • Do not adjust the force yourself at any time.
  • The headgear should not be worn during sports or other activity.
  • If the headgear ever becomes detached from the braces discontinue wear & return to the orthodontist.
  • If headgear ever becomes detached & rubs your face or eyes, go immediately to your doctor or hospital, Cease headgear wear & report to your orthodontist.

So you do not need to worry about your safety during headgear & braces wear as long as you follow the above mentioned instructions. Although needless to say it always depends on patient cooperation to achieve great success with orthodontic treatment.

For More Information:

Tala Limaz, if you find that information helpful? You can learn a lot more & see the illustrating images at http://www.your-beautiful-smile.blogspot.com/.

Article courtesy of www.goarticles.com.