Lingual Braces: The Upside and Downside of Braces on the Back Side
The back side of your body is the most vulnerable part when it comes to injury. When you are walking or standing up straight, there is no way to protect yourself from an accident.
You need to have some kind of protection if you want to stay healthy. There are several types of braces available, but they all have their pros and cons.
There are two main kinds of orthopedic braces: those that go around your head (braces) and those that go around your neck (neck supports). Orthotic braces are not considered orthotics because they do not cover the whole area. They only work well for certain parts of the body.
Brace Types
There are three basic types of braces:
Cranial (or craniosacral) Braces – These bracelets go around your head and hold them together. Craniosacral (or craniofacial) Braces – These bracelets go around your face and hold it together. Lateral Support Bracelets – These bracelets support both sides of your neck.
The most common types are:
Cranial Braces – These bracelets can be used for myopia, hyperopia, and other kinds of eye problems. They also help in correcting the shape of a person’s skull after an accident or disease. Cranial braces are very common because they are not very complicated to use and you can get them even without a prescription.
They can be acquired for around $ 100 at most medical supply stores.
Cervical Collars – They are more commonly referred to as neck braces or neck supports. They are worn around the neck, and they go a little bit beyond it. These collars are mainly used for injuries of the neck, but they can also be used to prevent muscle strain and whiplash.
If your injury is very serious, you might be prescribed a hard collar. These are stiffer than the soft ones, but they do not restrict your movements as much.
Shoulder Braces – There are braces that go around your shoulders rather than your neck. These are commonly used for traumatic injuries and fractures of the clavicle. This includes minor injuries to broken clavicles.
However, they can also be used for scapular fractures and other similar conditions.
Halo Braces – Halo braces are not like the ones you see in video games. They do not go all around your head; they only go around it and support it from below. These are usually worn by people who have had skull reconstruction or what is called cranial repair surgery.
They are also sometimes worn after brain surgery. The brace is only supposed to be used for a few weeks, but some people wear it for months.
What are the different types of neck braces?
There are various kinds of neck braces, and they can be classified according to their shape and design or by what they are used for.
Neck Braces: There are two kinds of neck braces: rigid and soft. The rigid ones have hard plastic or metal exterior, and the soft ones have a fabric exterior. Hard neck braces are used for conditions such as a fractured or broken neck, and soft neck braces are used for muscle pains and injuries to smaller neck structures.
There are different kinds of rigid neck braces. Some of them have a halo component that goes around your head to support it. Neck Collar: Also called as cervical collar, it is a soft brace which is put around your neck to provide support to it and hold it in place. They come in various designs according to the injury or condition they are used for. They provide support to your neck and prevent it from moving excessively.
Braces for the Shoulder: They provide support to your shoulders when you experience trauma to them or have been hurt. They are also sometimes used after surgery on the shoulder area. Some braces are rigid and go around both of your shoulders while others are the soft type and go around just one shoulder.
These braces prevent you from moving the shoulder too much.
Braces for the Elbow: Just like the shoulder, your elbow can also be hurt. If it is, then you might be prescribed an elbow brace to support and protect the area while it heals. These braces are mainly of two types: soft and rigid.
The soft ones provide only padding and support to your elbow while the rigid ones cover the elbow completely to prevent too much movement.
Braces for the Wrist and Hands: If you injure your wrist or hand, you might be given a wrist brace or a hand brace. These braces can be rigid or soft. They are used mainly to immobilize the wrist or hand and prevent too much movement in the injured area.
However, if the injury is a bone fracture, a rigid brace might be used along with a soft cast to keep the bone steady until it heals properly.
Finger Supports and Splints: Contrary to popular belief, an injured finger does not always need a cast to heal. There are finger splints that can be used for minor sprains and breaks. These splints are soft or rigid, and they provide support and immobilize the finger until it heals properly.
Above are some of the most common types of braces and supports that you might need after an injury or surgery.
What are braces used for?
There are many types of braces, and they are used to provide support to an injured joint or part of the body or to prevent further injury to it.
Here’s a list of some common braces:
Braces used for ankles and feet: Braces for ankles and feet are quite common nowadays. Many sporty types as well as people who struggle with aches and pains have a tendency to use them. They come in many different shapes and sizes depending on the type of injury or condition they are used for.
Some of these are rigid while others are soft.
Types of ankle and foot braces:
• Anterior calf bracing: These are rigid braces which cover part of the leg from the knee to the ankle. They are used mainly in recovery from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries of the knee or other similar conditions.
• Achilles tendon brace: This is a soft brace which provides support to your achilles tendon. It is sometimes used by athletes and sports people who are prone to achilles tendon injuries or have had them in the past.
• Arthritis foot brace: This is a rigid brace which provides support to your foot, ankle and part of your lower leg. It is mainly used in cases of arthritis to provide support and prevent too much movement in the ankles and feet.
• Bunions brace: This is a special type of brace just for bunions, and it provides support to the bunion as well as relieves pain. It does this by limiting the motion in the big toe.
• Diabetic foot care: This is a special type of soft boot which provides a protective layer over vulnerable diabetic feet. There are many different types of boot for this condition, depending on the type and severity of the diabetes-caused foot problems.
• Forearm brace: This is a rigid brace used to immobilize the forearm and prevent too much movement in the area. It can be worn on one or both forearms depending on the injury or condition it is being used for.
• Metatarsal brace: This is a soft orthotic device used to prevent slipping of the bones of the foot. It provides support to the longitudinal arch and limits excessive movement of the metatarsal bones, especially when using the foot.
Braces used for joints: There are many different types of joint braces, and these are mainly used to limit or prevent too much movement in a particular joint or part of the body. These are mainly rigid braces and are used mainly in recovery from broken bones and other similar conditions.
Types of joint braces:
• Knee immobilizer: This is a common type of brace which limits the movement of the knee. It is sometimes used after surgery or a major injury to prevent too much strain on the knee while it heals.
• Neoprene knee sleeve: This is a common type of brace which is usually used after surgery or a serious injury to the knee. It provides support to the knee joint and helps to prevent too much strain or stress on the joint while it heals.
Braces used for muscles: These are soft braces which provide support to weak or atrophied muscles. They are mainly used to prevent muscle strains and injuries and to improve muscle strength.
Types of muscle braces:
• Thigh brace: This is a type of soft brace which provides support and protection to the muscles in your thigh. It is mainly used to prevent thigh muscle strains and other similar conditions.
Braces used for other conditions: There are many other types of special braces which are used for different medical conditions or in different parts of the body. These include athletic braces, elbow braces, knee braces, back braces etc. Each of these is designed for a specific purpose and to treat a particular injury or condition.
Sources & references used in this article:
Clinical efficiency with lingual orthodontics–It takes a team by D Depew – Seminars in Orthodontics, 2018 – Elsevier
Self-ligating orthodontic bracket by R Lokar – US Patent 8,029,276, 2011 – Google Patents
Orthodontic appliance for bite correction by JJ Jasper – US Patent 8,721,326, 2014 – Google Patents
Orthodontic toothbrush by J Fulop, S Mota, J Trigg – US Patent 6,260,227, 2001 – Google Patents
Fastening device for fixing orthodontic apparatuses on a dental implant by C Huskens, U Mundwiler, J Glatzmaier – US Patent 5,836,768, 1998 – Google Patents
Orthodontic braces by F Borri – US Patent 8,435,030, 2013 – Google Patents
Manual and electronic orthodontic toothbrushes by J Fulop, S Mota-Lopez, J Cuccaro – US Patent App. 10/464,077, 2004 – Google Patents
