Definition of the Term ‘Dental Brace’

“Braces” is a layman’s term for orthodontic appliances. Orthodontists prefer to speak of orthodontic appliances or devices. However, because the term braces is so widely used and understood by everyone, it is used throughout this information page.

In the broadest sense, braces are any apparatus used in orthodontics to move or influence teeth. There are removable and fixed braces. With few exceptions, traditional removable braces have become obsolete because most orthodontic treatment can be done faster, more effectively, more comfortably for the patient, and ultimately less expensively with fixed braces. The only exceptions are the use of a single double brace to treat the growing-age backbite and orthodontic treatment with aligners, e.g. with Invisalign.