MORE ADULTS PUT ASIDE QUALMS TO STRAIGHTEN TEETH WITH BRACES

(Cleveland) Plain Dealer

(c) 1996 The Plain Dealer. All rts. reserv.

07053022 MORE ADULTS PUT ASIDE QUALMS TO STRAIGHTEN TEETH 
WITH BRACES Plain Dealer  (Cleveland) (PD) - Monday, February 22, 
1993 By: SCRIPPS HOWARD Edition: FINAL / ALL  Section: NATIONAL  
Page: 6E Word Count: 486

TEXT: When Nilda Keefer was in school, only geeks wore braces.

   "We  taunted  `metal  mouths'  mercilessly,'  remembers  Keefer,  46, of 
Hutchinson  Island,  Fla. "We would offer them bubble gum and tell them 
the glint off their braces was blinding us."

    Last  year,  Keefer  had  metal  braces  put  on her teeth to correct a 
problem  with tooth-spreading brought on by gum disease.

   "If  you  had told me that one day I'd be a grandmother with braces, I'd 
never have believed it," she said.

   According   to  statistics  compiled  by  the  American  Association  of 
Orthodontists  in  St.  Louis, nearly 1 million adults in the United States 
now  wear braces - that's one-fourth of all braces wearers.

   Some  numbers  are  even  higher.  Stuart, Fla., orthodontist William J. 
Bryant  says close to half his patients are adults.

   "It's  maybe  55%  to  45%  in  favor of children, but those numbers are 
changing every day," he said. "Braces are definitely not just for kids."

   Some  adults, like Keefer, require help to adjust physical problems. Her 
teeth spread out; age may cause someone else's to begin crowding the 
mouth.

   According  to  Port St. Lucie, Fla., orthodontist Ann Wilson, both cases 
are  normal.

   "Adults  often  have problems with bone loss due to periodontal disease. 
The  teeth become unbalanced because there is less support, especially 
when you add lip and tongue pressure," she said.

   The imbalance may cause problems in fixing the teeth - a bridge can't be 
fitted  properly  if  the  teeth aren't standing up straight - or even just 
cleaning them right.
   Then there's the pain.

   A  bad  bite  can cause a host of problems, including tension headaches, 
Bryant said.

   "A  dentist  is  probably  the last person you'd consult when you have a 
headache  complaint,  but  I'd  say 95% of tension headaches that come 
as a result of a bad bite can be corrected by a dental professional," he 
said.

   Marie  Pyne,  29,  of  Port St. Lucie, developed temporomandibular joint 
(TMJ)  disorders  following  an auto accident two years ago. The condition, 
associated  with muscles in the face and how they relate to the jaw, 
caused her  headaches.

   "Not  just  headaches,"  she said. "They were killer headaches." But she 
says  the pains subsided after she got braces.

   There is now much debate among dental professionals about whether 
TMJ is actually  caused by problems with the teeth. It may have more to do 
with an irregularity in the mouth joint itself, Wilson said.

   "Braces  aren't  the only way to solve the problem," she said. "The best 
approach for adults with small episodes of TMJ should be more 
conservative; a  splint may be a better first step."

   If  you  do  opt  for  braces,  get  your  wallet ready. Braces may cost 
anywhere  from $2,000 to $4,500.

   Although the majority of patients ask for or must accept metal braces to 
counteract  their  particular  condition,  new  innovations, including hard 
plastic and porcelain styles designed to match teeth, often appeal to adult 
patients.

                Copyright (c) 1993, The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, OH

DESCRIPTORS:  TEETH; BRACES