Time-Lapse Video Shows The Incredible Impact An Orthodontic Device Has On Crooked Teeth Over 18 Months

• Video reveals how an 11-year-old's crooked teeth were fixed in 18-months 
• Shows how teeth are moved due to the pressure exerted by braces 
• She was treated at Kesling & Rocke Orthodontic Group in Westville, Indiana 
• Braces are used to correct structural problems and for cosmetic reasons 
• They pull teeth in a certain direction to loosen them slowly so that new bone grows around them to support the teeth in their new, desired position Archaeological evidence suggests first 'braces' were used in ancient times 

Braces are an awkward and often painful rite of passage for many teenagers, but they can transform the most crooked teeth into Hollywood smiles. 

A strangely captivating time-lapse video reveals how an 11-year-old-girl’s warped teeth were transformed over just 18-months. It shows how her top teeth move down and into more uniform positions, as the wire straightens across her braces. 

She was treated by Dr Thomas Rocke of Kesling & Rocke Orthodontic Group in Westville, Indiana. 

People wear braces for cosmetic as well as structural reasons, such as correcting their bite and repositioning crooked teeth. 

While braces may be seen as a modern ‘extra’ when it comes to health and dental treatments, there is evidence that ancient people wrapped metal bands around their teeth in a bid to strengthen them. 

Braces are able to move teeth by applying pressure on them. 

Traditional braces comprise of four elements: brackets, bonding material, arch wire and ligature elastics, known as ‘o-rings’ to align teeth. 

Teeth move when the arch wire puts pressure on the brackets, which are bonded to the teeth. O-rings are sometimes used to generate force in order to pull teeth in a certain direction. 

The tension of the arch wire is set at regular orthodontic appointments - typically a month apart - so that the correct amount of pressure is applied slowly over time. 

When pressure is applied on the teeth, their periodontal membrane stretches on one side and is compressed on the other. 

This loosens the teeth so that new bone grows to support them in their new positions. The process is called bone remodelling, which is the biomechanical process responsible for making bones stronger.

If too much pressure is applied too quickly, the teeth can be loosened too fast for new bone to grow, meaning that a patient can be at risk of losing their teeth.

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