With braces, you may have noticed that some people get power chains braces to help them pull their teeth into place, while others don’t seem to get them until later on in the process. In this guide, we’ll tell you how long into braces do you get power chains, and we’ll offer some suggestions on why this decision may be made at different points in the process by your orthodontist or dentist.
Things That Influence Your Braces’ Power Chain Timing
When your orthodontist schedules your braces power chain, he or she will consider three main factors: your symptoms, types of bracket and stage of tooth movement. Depending on all three of these, you may need to go without a power chain for part or all of your time in braces. Here’s what each factor means for you
How long will it take to get braces with a power chain?
There are a lot of factors that affect how long it will take to get braces with a power chain, including your insurance and whether or not you have any existing dental work. If you have braces from when you were younger, removing them and replacing them can be as quick as two weeks for Invisalign and five weeks for traditional metal braces. If you’re getting new braces without teeth in place or other orthodontic work done at once, it can take between six months to a year. More complex situations may require 18 months or more to complete all phases of treatment. But don’t worry; there is no way your orthodontist will recommend treatments that will cause too much discomfort or inconvenience to start!
Time in braces
It’s always a question that plagues parents and teens who are getting braces for teeth: When should you get power chains on your braces? It’s a tricky question, because you don’t want to wait too long or else your teeth will start shifting as you wear them day after day. On the other hand, if you get them too early then they’ll never tighten up like they could have if left alone longer. So how long into braces do you get power chains? What is their purpose anyway and what do they do exactly? All of these questions will be answered in our follow-up post about power chains. Check back soon!
Will you lose all your teeth before getting braces with a power chain?
If you’re getting braces with a power chain, you’ll have to have braces for at least 12 months. Some patients don’t even get their power chains until 18 months into braces, but it all depends on your orthodontist and his or her instructions. If you lose one of your front teeth early in treatment, be sure to let your orthodontist know so that he or she can re-evaluate treatment and discuss whether power chains are still an option. That said, you should also wait at least 12 months before getting power chains; any earlier could risk tissue damage from being worn too soon.
The dentist’s opinion on when to put braces on with power chains
Typically, we like to put power chains on once your teeth have been straightened and most of your growth is complete. It’s an easy way to strengthen your teeth even further without needing to visit our office as often. Depending on how much you’ll wear your power chains, they’re an ideal choice for people who want additional strength or reinforcement of their braces. However, it’s still important that you brush and floss regularly with braces power chains in—otherwise, it defeats the purpose of strengthening them in the first place! Whether you go with traditional metal bands or bracelets or another type of bracelent (power chain), there are a lot of different types available. So come in and talk to us about which ones would be best for you!
