Metal Braces - Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics

Make the Most of Your Smile

Traditional metal braces are the most common way to transform smiles at Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics. These orthodontic icons are known for successfully straightening smiles at every age for patients throughout Midland, Bay City, and West Branch.

About Metal Braces

At Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics, you’ll enjoy the latest braces technology to transform your smile. Traditional metal braces are tough and affordable, making them the top treatment for orthodontic patients in Midland, Bay City, and West Branch.

Metal braces were known for being awkward and obvious, but modern versions are smaller, less conspicuous, and more comfortable to wear.

Braces are great at fixing complex tooth issues and work faster to close gaps and align teeth than other treatments, potentially shortening your treatment time at Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics.

Metal braces are cost-effective because they don’t require some of the more complex technology or expensive equipment that newer treatments do.

What Are Braces Made of?

Brackets

Your Great Lakes Bay orthodontist uses durable braces brackets made from a mix of stainless steel, nickel, and other metals and has little hooks or doors where we thread a wire.

Your Midland, Bay City, and West Branch braces experts secure your bracket by closing the door or placing an elastic over the top of the wire.

Glue

This is how your orthodontist attaches the brackets to your teeth.

Wire

This thin piece of metal runs from one bracket to another. Your orthodontist shapes and curves the wire so your teeth move in the right direction.

Typically, the wire attaches to all of your bottom or upper teeth, but we might occasionally cut the wire if connecting just a few teeth is better for your treatment plan.

Elastics

If you need bite correction, elastics are essential. We usually string elastics between an upper and lower bracket hook.

This pressure pulls your upper jaw backward to correct an overbite or the lower jaw back to correct an underbite. At Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics, we use rubber bands for many different situations, especially when we want to put extra pressure on the teeth or jaws.

Orthodontic Bands

We cement these stainless steel rings to your teeth using dental bonding agents. These bands anchor your braces and orthodontic appliances, but we don’t use them for everyone.

Spacers

Your orthodontist uses these tiny elastic “donuts” or rings to create space between your teeth when needed, typically before we place your bands. People also refer to them as "separators.”

Elastic Ties/O-Rings/Ligatures/Colors

We use these tiny rubber rings or bands to attach the archwire to the brackets. Elastics are less rigid than spacers, and you can get them in dozens of colors.

Metal Braces FAQ

How do braces work?

Before applying your brackets, Dr. Lisa, Dr. Dale, Dr. Grillo, and the Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics team will collect photos and X-rays of your mouth. Sometimes we'll use our iTero Element scanner to scan each of your teeth and the layout of your gums and mouth.

If necessary, this process takes 10-15 minutes and provides a highly accurate 3D view of your mouth.

After the X-Ray and optional scan, your orthodontist will use this information to create your customized treatment plan, including how we need to move each tooth to get it in the best possible position.

Your orthodontist will decide how to place the brackets based on this information. For example, if you have some teeth that need to tilt, we'll place those brackets differently compared to the brackets for teeth that need to turn.

Once we attach your brackets, your orthodontist will insert the wire. Bends in the wire will provide different types of pressure on different teeth. Most orthodontists create movements using this bend in the wire.

What can I expect from today’s metal braces?

Sleeker brackets and lighter wires improve the appearance and feel of these braces. This means you’ll have less irritation in your mouth.

Traditional metal braces at Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics also come with a fun twist without extra cost—you can customize them with pops of color. The elastics that fit around your brackets come in various colors, letting you showcase your personality whenever you want.

Pick your favorite color combination, the colors of your favorite sports team, or your school colors. We also offer silver, gray, white, black, and tooth-colored elastics for patients seeking a more subtle look.

How long will I be in braces?

This is what everyone who visits our office wants to know, but it's something that doesn't have a concrete answer. Every smile is unique, and everyone responds to treatment differently, so treatment time with metal braces at Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics will vary by case.

The average time spent in metal braces is around 18 to 22 months but it could be shorter or longer, depending on the individual and the treatment plan designed by Dr. Lisa, Dr. Dale, or Dr. Grillo.

We have some patients at Great Lakes Bay Orthodontics in braces for as few as six months, but it can take over three years to complete the process for complex issues.

With metal braces in Midland, Bay City, or West Branch, you'll see signs of improvement quickly, which gives you confidence during the treatment process.