Why do Orthodontists recommend dental spacers?
Dental Spacers are temporary orthodontic devices that are used in the very beginning of teeth straightening treatments occasionally. The dental spacers, also known as orthodontic spacers or orthodontic separators are small rubber or metal bands sized about 1 cm in diameter. They are prescribed to create a small amount of space between the teeth.
Making a room between the teeth allows orthodontists to attach brackets over the teeth’ surfaces. These spacers are commonly placed between the back molars. Generally, 1 to 8 dental spaces are utilized to prepare a patient’s mouth before the braces are fitted.
Even though it is a part of orthodontic treatments, many people are not aware of this appliance. Its intricacies have been explained in this blog article.
Table of Contents
Are dental spacers always required before wearing teeth braces?
No. The tooth spacers are recommended for people whose teeth are naturally close together. In such cases of closely spaced teeth, it is impossible to glue metal brackets through which the archwire of metal braces are held in place.
Orthodontists want to create necessary spacing between the teeth to overcome this problem. However, it is not required for patients whose teeth are not closely spaced. Likely, if you prefer clear aligners or kinds of braces, then you don’t need spacers.
How long should a person wear spacers?
As mentioned in the beginning, it is a temporary appliance hence that you don’t have to wear it for a long time. The duration depends on a patient’s specific needs. Generally, the orthodontic separators are placed between the teeth for 1 to 2 weeks only.
Will tooth spacers hurt our teeth?
Similar to various dental appliances, the orthodontic separators also provoke some sort of discomfort in the initial stage. As the spacers exert pressure to forcefully move the teeth, you might encounter pain, sores, and tenderness inside your mouth. The level of discomfort varies depending on how your teeth are tightly nestled against each other.
Don’t worry. Such a painful sensation exists until your teeth get used to the new dental device. Mostly, the annoying things will disappear in 2 to 3 after the insertion of spacers.
Can we eat while having dental spacers in our mouth?
You should forbid the following foods items when using orthodontic separators:
- Chewy foods
- Sticky foods
- Sugary foods
- Hard foods
- Crunchy foods
The excessive force applied over the teeth when the spacers are put in place may loosen the appliance. On the other hand, you cannot clean the interdental spaces thoroughly when the spaces are fixed between the teeth. It implies that eating sugary items like candy while using spacers will increase the risk of developing cavities.
Therefore, orthodontists advise choosing foods that are easy to chew and do not stick to the surfaces of your teeth. Boiled eggs, mashed potatoes, and custards are some instances.
Bottom Line
If your teeth are crooked & tightly spaced, you would be prescribed to wear orthodontic separators for a few weeks before fitting metal braces.
The orthodontic separators are inserted between the teeth to create spacing. Its installation and removal process can also be performed quickly using a specialized instrument. As the spacers are placed between the teeth, brushing and flossing become quite tedious. Hence you should brush and floss your teeth carefully.
Likewise, you should avoid foods that are hard, sticky, and require a lot of chewing. In essence, you should take care of the spacers like dental braces to address the teeth alignment problems.
