Metal Braces: How They Work, Pros, Cons and Care

A bracket is bonded to the front of each tooth with dental glue. A thin wire, the archwire, runs through slots in the brackets and is held in place by small elastic ties or by the bracket itself. Bands may wrap around the back molars, and small hooks let rubber bands be attached later.

The wire is shaped to the arch you are aiming for. When it is first placed it is bent a little by your crooked teeth, and it pulls them gently towards its own shape. The orthodontist changes to thicker or stiffer wires in stages as the teeth line up.

Teeth sit in sockets of bone, held by a thin ligament. Steady light pressure makes the bone on the pushed side break down and the bone on the pulled side build up. The tooth follows, a fraction of a millimetre at a time. Force that is too heavy does not speed this up and can damage the root, which is why treatment is paced.

Adjustment visits, usually every month or two, change the wire or the ties to keep the pressure going. Elastics between the upper and lower jaws are added when the bite needs correcting; our guide on braces rubber bands explains what they do.

Total time depends on the case, and the wider treatment is described on the braces and orthodontics page. Our guide on how long braces take covers what shortens and lengthens treatment.

Metal brackets are strong and rarely break, they work without any effort from the patient beyond care and attendance, and they handle severe crowding and large bite corrections. They are also generally the lowest-priced fixed option, and the braces cost page shows the Lucknow market ranges for the different bracket types.

The downsides are that they are the most noticeable type, they can rub the lips and cheeks at first, and food and plaque collect around them. How they compare with tooth-coloured brackets is covered in metal vs ceramic braces, and the full list of options is in our guide to the types of braces.

Avoid hard, sticky and chewy foods that can snap a bracket or bend a wire: hard nuts, chikki, toffee, whole raw apples or carrots bitten straight. Cut food into small pieces. Soft Indian meals such as khichdi, dal, curd, idli and soft rotis are easy on braces.

Plaque builds up around brackets quickly, and white marks or cavities can appear around them if cleaning slips. Brush after meals with a fluoride toothpaste and an interdental brush for the spaces under the wire; our guide on brushing with braces shows the method. Orthodontic wax helps with sore spots, as described in orthodontic wax.