No. We do not routinely “tighten” your braces.
First what is “tightening” the braces? It is not turning a screw. You may be relieved to know this.
You can think of tightening the braces as making a change to the braces that increases or changes the pressure on your teeth. Your teeth are not sensitive so much to pressure, but CHANGES in the pressure. Of course when you first get braces, the change in pressure is large even though we are starting with very gentle wires. Your teeth feel it.
Quickly, your teeth get used to that pressure and it becomes normal. Your teeth are now much more comfortable, but they are still getting pressure from the braces and wires. They are moving lots, even though your teeth are now used to the pressure and there is little discomfort.
One of the big advantages of Damon braces (the ones we use) is that we do not have to change the wires as often. The wires work for longer periods of time to keep the teeth moving. When we do change the wire, or make another change to your braces, you will likely feel that change in pressure. You will call that “tightening” the braces, and it is a good way to describe it – your braces do feel tighter. Quickly, the teeth will get used to that change and the discomfort will go away.
When we do change the wire with the Damon braces, the change in pressure is less than with traditional braces. This means less frequent and gentler “tightening” of your braces.
Good news all around. So rest assured. We will see you for appointments to check your progress with the braces. We want to see how you are doing and how your teeth are moving, but in a number of cases we will not have to tighten the braces. In some cases we may only change one of the wires.
As the captain of the ship says “steady as she goes”, and I might add “comfortable as she goes”.
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About Me
- Dr. John Campbell
- I was born and raised in Winnipeg. Dentistry is in my blood. My grandfather, Fred Campbell, owned and operated a dental lab in Winnipeg. My father, Dr. William Campbell, or Bill, was an orthodontist until he retired in 1989. I used to hang around the office and I caught the bug. I graduated from The University of Manitoba with my D.M.D. in 1981. I spent one year interning at The Children’s Hospital Dental Program. I decided to be an orthodontist like my father – he loved his job and that was good enough for me. I received my orthodontic education at the University of Manitoba Graduate Orthodontic Program I love technology. More than technology, I am interested in getting better – I want to improve the service we provide to our patients, parents and their dentists, because a healthy smile is a team effort. My goal and that of my staff is never to stop getting better. I have two wonderful children. My daughter Alex is in third year Engineering at the University of Manitoba and my son Reid is in his first year of University and interested in geology. I am very happy that both of my kids are excited about the possibilities for education and technology as I am.