{"id":48593,"date":"2023-08-04T08:24:44","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T08:24:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/dental-braces-among-rwandan-youth-a-trend-or-medical-concern\/"},"modified":"2023-08-12T08:14:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-12T08:14:04","slug":"dental-braces-among-rwandan-youth-a-trend-or-medical-concern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/dental-braces-among-rwandan-youth-a-trend-or-medical-concern\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental braces among Rwandan youth: A trend or medical concern?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The recent one in my gallery is one that shows the \u2018bandwagon\u2019 Rwandan girls are engaging in lately.<\/p>\n

Out of the five listed acts, one caught my attention: the use of \u2018braces\u2019. <\/p>\n

All along, I thought braces were for medical reasons, simply because while I was in primary school, my desk mate had them, and oh boy, how she hated them.<\/p>\n

If only she knew back then that what was a \u2018nightmare\u2019 to her, will years later be an \u2018in thing\u2019 for many.<\/p>\n

We asked some of the youth we found wearing braces who told us the reason behind.<\/p>\n

Yannick Rutera a university student informed us that he wears braces as per \u2018dentist orders\u2019. According to Rutera, he has been having his braces on since early 2021. <\/p>\n

\u201cBefore getting braces, my teeth were not properly aligned but now they are. In the beginning it was difficult having them on. However as time passed, I got comfortable with them and now I like them although I am looking forward to removing them completely,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Rebecca Ikaze, a young girl who acquired her braces recently also notes that she had them for health purposes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was my dad\u2019s decision that I get braces, his reasons were convincing and so I obliged,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy smile was bad that I never wanted to smile,\u201d said Jane Kanyana when asked why she wears braces.<\/p>\n

Central Coast Orthodontics define braces as dental tools (made out of metals) that help correct problems like; crowding, crooked teeth or teeth that are out of alignment.<\/p>\n

According to Dr. Alphonse Rugambarara, a dentist at the University Teaching Hospital of Kigali (CHUK), the main reason for getting braces is indeed for aesthetic reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone wants to have a beautiful smile and so yes, braces help them acquire that. However, for us as dentists, we see it as a medical concern if one has \u2018malalignment,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

He added that malalignment is a danger to the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) since someone can\u2019t chew properly, reason braces are recommended to prevent such problems.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rugambarara added that malalignment poses a danger to the TMJ as it can impede proper chewing. That’s why braces are recommended to prevent such issues.<\/p>\n

{{How do braces work?}}<\/p>\n

According to Dr. Rugambarara, braces are for anyone whose teeth are misaligned. However, the recovery period and results vary from patient to patient.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a person has less than three teeth that are misaligned, it takes them a shorter period of between six to twelve months to recover compared to one with both jaws misaligned,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition, children who use braces see results before adults who use the same braces. This is because children\u2019s bones are softer than those of adults,\u201d added Dr. Rugambarara.<\/p>\n

Although braces have little to no negative side effects, Dr. Rugambarara cautions parents against taking children under the age of twelve to get braces.<\/p>\n

He instead advises them to get kids retainers to prevent any possible misalignment.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rugambarara further urges those with braces to always visit their dentists at least once a month for either tightening or a follow up.<\/p>\n

A proper mouth care routine (brushing at least twice a day especially after meals) is also recommended for those wearing braces to prevent \u2018periodontal disease\u2019 caused by plaque buildup.<\/p>\n

{{Types of braces}}<\/p>\n

According to Cleveland Clinic, a nonprofit American academic medical center based in Cleveland, braces come in varied types. <\/p>\n

{{Metal braces:}} Also known as traditional metal braces, these use stainless steel bands, brackets and wires to gently shift your teeth over time. A dentist or orthodontist will bond a bracket on each tooth then place a thin flexible arch wire over the brackets.
\nCeramic brace: Sometimes called clear braces, their wires and ligatures are tooth-colored so they blend in with one\u2019s smile.<\/p>\n

{{Lingual braces:}} These go on the back surface of your teeth instead of the front. People who choose lingual braces do so because they don\u2019t want other people to tell they have braces.<\/p>\n

{{Self-litigating braces: }} They look similar to traditional metal braces only that instead of ligatures (tiny elastic bands), they use a built-in system to hold the arch wire in place.<\/p>\n

{{Clear aligners aka invisible braces:}} Instead of brackets and wires, they use a series of custom-made trays to straighten your teeth overtime.<\/p>\n

\"Braces<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

{I\u2019m no active TikTok user but every now and then, I come across hilarious videos from my contacts who religiously use the app.}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":2000058566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[72,75],"byline":[3104],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-48593","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-featured-news-home","tag-homenews","byline-jane-babirye"],"bylines":[{"id":3104,"name":"Jane Babirye","slug":"jane-babirye","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"contributors":[{"id":3104,"name":"Jane Babirye","slug":"jane-babirye","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":null}],"featured_image":{"id":2000058566,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/woman-wearing-yellow-and-grey-beaded-accessory-3307758-1-e1585852001601.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/woman-wearing-yellow-and-grey-beaded-accessory-3307758-1-e1585852001601.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/woman-wearing-yellow-and-grey-beaded-accessory-3307758-1-e1585852001601.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/woman-wearing-yellow-and-grey-beaded-accessory-3307758-1-e1585852001601.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/woman-wearing-yellow-and-grey-beaded-accessory-3307758-1-e1585852001601.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/woman-wearing-yellow-and-grey-beaded-accessory-3307758-1-e1585852001601.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48593","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48593"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48593\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000058566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48593"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48593"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48593"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=48593"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=48593"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}