Self-Ligating Brackets

One recent innovation is the development of self-ligating brackets (Speed, Damon, Innovation-R...) so they can be used routinely. Before self-ligating brackets, each tooth would have to be individually tied to the wire in order for teeth to move. This introduced friction that slowed tooth movement, increased soreness and forced us to see you more often. Dr. Chmura was among the first in Southwest Michigan to use these new brackets and we currently use the Innovation "self-ligating" brackets, which reduce friction in the early stages (Left figure) and fully engage at the end of treatment (right figure), so your appointments are quicker, your teeth are less sore and they tend to move more easily.

Innovation C brackets have all the same mechanical advantages while also providing great esthetics.

Titanium Wires

Titanium wires were adapted from NASA and are one of the greatest innovations in orthodontics in the last ten or twelve years. The properties of these wires has allowed us to increase your time between visits from the traditional "every four weeks" to eight or even twelve weeks in many cases. Titanium wires apply constant, gentle pressure over long periods so you should feel less soreness, have fewer interruptions in school and work schedules, and experience reduced treatment times. Using self-ligating brackets and Titanium wires has truly allowed us to become a regional practice, because we can often go as long as three months between appointments.

Initial Appointment

After 6 months
(two appointments)