Painless Perfection

Orthodontists believe that everyone deserves a beautiful smile. One deterrent to achieving a pearly result is the potential for discomfort that tends to be associated with treatment using traditional braces. Dr. Duncan Brown, a certified orthodontic specialist, reveals one possible solution to this problem: the comfortable treatment option known as the Damon System.Brown graduated from the University of Toronto in 1975 with a doctorate in dental surgery, and was certified as a specialist in orthodontics in 1978. After many years in practice he was exposed to the work of Dr. Dwight Damon.

At the time, more than 10 years ago, Damon had begun working to improve treatment quality while shortening treatment times. This led to the development of a passive self-ligating bracket system, which has become known as the Damon System.  

Brown says, “I had a lot of things that I had to unlearn to be able to adapt to Dr. Damon’s approach to treatment. It was very difficult.” However, once Brown mastered the approach and mechanics, he became one of the first orthodontists to pioneer the Damon System in Calgary. Together with his partner, Dr. Dana Van Elslande, they use it exclusively at both their offices in Calgary and Canmore, Alta.  

APPROACH AND MECHANICS
The Damon System uses a bracket on the tooth, which holds the wire joining the teeth together by passive self-ligation.  This involves a door that opens and closes holding the wire in place, while allowing it to slide freely through the bracket, applying a low pressure.

The highly elastic archwires are light, high-tech, shape-memory wires that allow for fewer adjustment appointments with less discomfort because of the low force. This allows teeth to move freely, quickly and comfortably, unlike traditional systems that involve elastic or metal ties.

These ties use higher forces, causing friction and pressure, which can make treatment uncomfortable. “When I was trained, one goal was to cram the biggest wire into the bracket slot on a per appointment basis,” says Brown. “This made appointments uncomfortable for many patients.”

Roland Lagace opted for Damon braces in May of last year. Before this, he was considering dental surgery or
traditional braces to correct his severely crowded and overlapped teeth. He was hesitant about having major surgery as well as getting braces because friends who had had them in the past told Legace it would be a painful experience.  

Lagace was recommended to Brown, who suggested the Damon System. Fourteen months later, Legace has experienced major improvements in his teeth and facial appearance — with minimal pain and discomfort.

New research indicates that with lower forces applied to the teeth, the better they actually move as the wire slides freely through the brackets.  With the Damon System the light wires apply enough low pressure to stimulate tooth movement without overpowering the muscles of the face, tongue, bone and tissue.

And these braces don’t look so bad either. Because there are no elastics, the bulkiness is eliminated. Former patient Vicki Tracey agrees: “They don’t look really bad,” she says. “They don’t look huge and clunky — they are discreet as far as braces go.”

RESULTS
“The patient experience is completely different,” says Brown, who was treated with the Damon System himself two years ago. He found his treatment more comfortable than what he remembers of his childhood experience. The wire contributes to the light forces being applied, which means greater patient comfort because there is minimal friction preventing wire movement.  “The goal is never to apply a very large amount of force to the teeth,” says Brown. For the first couple of appointments, patients should expect their teeth to be sore, but the feeling will wear off in time.

Placing the appliance takes a couple of hours to complete. After the treatment, each patient is seen roughly every 10 weeks for a period of at least eight months. Once the patient reaches the final stages of their individualized treatments, the frequency of their appointments will increase. Damon braces are usually worn for about two years; however in Tracey’s case, she wore hers for a shorter period of 18 months. “I think they estimated 24 months for me, but it moved quickly,” she shares happily.

MAINTAINING YOUR BRACES
The Damon braces make good dental hygiene easy to maintain as a result of the slide mechanism. They are designed to be discreet, comfortable and easy to keep clean on a regular basis. Traditional systems use elastomeric O-rings and stainless steel ligatures, which are extremely plaque-retentive.

A DAMON SYSTEM MISCONCEPTION 
Brown says most patients who come for a consultation think that using these advanced mechanical systems ensures a speedy treatment. He says, “It’s more about quality of patient experience and the end results that can be attained.”

But the patient Lagace notes, “Between then and now, [there have been] fast changes along the way. They improved my teeth, but also my entire face.”

Dr. Duncan Brown and Dr. Dana Van Elslande are members of the Canadian and American Association of Orthodontists, as well as the Alberta Society of Orthodontists. Brown is one of 15 Damon Educators in North America and two in Canada.  He educates orthodontists and post-graduate residents on how to provide patients with brilliant smiles using the Damon System. • 

asking the right 
questions

The Damon System has been around for 10 years and the number of orthodontists using this method has skyrocketed. Brown says about 50% of the orthodontists in Alberta are using this system now. “It is difficult from the orthodontist’s standpoint because a significant amount of retraining is required to be able to really use the system effectively,” says Brown.

He says it is crucial to make sure your orthodontic provider is an orthodontist. He notes that there are a lot of general practitioners performing orthodontics because the applications of the system are simple, but “the reality is, as with many things, you are best treated with the most experienced and best-trained provider in virtually every circumstance… For example, if a person was going to be treated with the Damon System, they should be treated by someone who does a lot of it.”

Brown says it is important to ask the right questions of your orthodontic provider. The Canadian Association of Orthodontists suggests you include inquiries such as: “How many cases have you treated in the last year? How many have you treated in the last five years? Are you a member of either the Canadian Association of Orthodontists or a member of the American Association of Orthodontists?”

Brown also suggests going to the Canadian Association of Orthodontists website because they have every member of the association listed. Everyone on the list, he explains, is specially trained as an orthodontic specialist — but, he notes, not necessarily the Damon System.