Lingual braces damage teeth more easily: Myth or truth?

Is it a myth or is it true that lingual braces can damage teeth? Fellow orthodontist often say that lingual braces, also known as internal braces, tend to damage teeth more easily. This claim is not scientifically supported. On the contrary, lingual braces can give you an orthodontically correct result, for a beautiful smile. This myth about this being an incorrect method to achieve straight teeth was created for a specific reason. And this reason was for certain orthodontists to avoid using this orthodontic intervention with the lingual braces. Therefore, lingual braces are a completely safe and effective method for straight teeth.

Lingual braces compared to traditional glued-on braces.

Unlike lingual braces, the use of fixed orthodontic appliances, also known as glued-on braces, can cause irreversible damage to the enamel of the teeth. Such damage can be seen as the white spots, showing an onset of caries. The comparison of the lingual “internal” surface of the teeth with the application of fixed orthodontic appliances and the outer lip surface comes to the following conclusions: With internal lingual braces, it is scientifically proven that the aforementioned problems that may arise, occur 10 times less (Van der Veen MH et al., Eur J Oral Sci. 2010 Jun;118(3):298-303). This is because there are the following parameters on the outer lip surface:

1. Constant “wetting” of the inner surface of the teeth with saliva.
2. Self-cleaning of the inner surface during swallowing, or with the tongue.
3. A particularly durable arrangement of enamel prisms, and more specifically of the teeth “enamel” on the inner surface.
4. The personalized, custom-made device can cover the inner surface of the tooth. This results in less “slit-like” sites where plaque build-up is possible. In contrast, non-personalized, conventional “outer braces” do not provide this effect.

Lingual braces are an effective orthodontic method

Lingual braces, also known as inner braces, can also cause white decalcification spots. The difference with glued-on braces is that these alterations happen on the inside of the teeth and to a much lesser extent. Also, they are not visible to others, thus giving you a beautiful smile. Therefore, the perception that internal braces could damage teeth more easily is completely scientifically unsubstantiated; in fact, the exact opposite happens to be the truth. Applying fixed devices could cause 10 times as many issues, when it comes to a beautiful smile.

Learn more about Invisible Orthodontics on our website! Find everything about its two methods: lingual orthodontics and the Invisalign method, so that you can make the ideal choice!