Braces move teeth with brackets bonded to each tooth and a wire that connects them. The Orthodontic Gallery in Riverview offers metal braces, clear ceramic braces, and LightForce custom 3D-printed brackets, for children, teens, and adults. Treatment is planned and carried out by Dr. Wakas Abdulrazzaq, a board-certified orthodontist. Consultations are free.
Braces are the oldest tool in orthodontics and, by orthodontic consensus, still among the most capable. Aligners have taken over a lot of straightforward cases, and rightly so. But when a case involves rotating a stubborn canine, closing an extraction space, correcting a deep bite, or moving roots rather than crowns, fixed appliances remain the more precise instrument. Part of our job is telling you honestly which category you are in.
How Braces Actually Work
A bracket is bonded to the front of each tooth. An archwire runs through all of them, and because that wire wants to return to its original shape, it applies steady, light pressure along the arch. Bone responds to that pressure by remodeling. It dissolves slightly on the side the tooth is moving toward and rebuilds on the side it is moving from.
That biology is why orthodontics takes months instead of weeks. Force applied too hard does not speed it up. It damages roots and it hurts. The skill is in planning the sequence of wires, the anchorage, and the small adjustments so the teeth arrive where the plan says they should.
The Braces We Offer
Metal braces
Stainless steel brackets, which for many cases are the most efficient option we have and among the most durable. They handle the widest range of cases, they cost the least, and they break the least often. Kids frequently prefer them once they find out the elastic ties come in colors that change at every visit.
Clear ceramic braces
Ceramic brackets are tooth-colored and considerably less visible from conversational distance. They work on the same mechanics as metal and treat the same range of cases. They are slightly larger, slightly more brittle, and cost a bit more. For adults and older teens who want fixed appliances without the full metal look, they are usually the answer.
LightForce custom 3D-printed braces
LightForce brackets are designed individually for your teeth, from your own 3D scan, and printed rather than mass-produced. A standard bracket is one shape that has to work across thousands of different teeth, which means the wire has to compensate for the mismatch. A custom bracket already sits where it needs to sit.
In practice that means fewer of the small manual bends and adjustments that add appointments, and a fit that follows the actual anatomy of each tooth. Very few practices in this part of Hillsborough County offer them. See our LightForce page for detail.
Who Braces Suit
Braces are appropriate at almost any age once the permanent teeth are in, which for most people is somewhere between ten and fourteen. Braces work well for adults, and we treat adult patients at every stage of life.
Fixed appliances tend to be the better tool when a case involves:
- Significant rotation, particularly of canines and premolars
- Closing spaces after an extraction
- Deep bites, open bites, and crossbites needing vertical or transverse control
- Movements that require controlling the root rather than just tipping the crown
- Any patient who realistically will not wear removable aligners 22 hours a day
That last point matters more than people expect. Aligners only work while they are in your mouth. Braces work whether you remember them or not, which for many teenagers is the whole argument.
If your case would do equally well either way, we will say so and let you choose. See clear aligners for the alternative.
What Treatment Looks Like
- Consultation. About an hour. Examination, digital scan, photographs, X-ray, and a written plan with the cost. Free.
- Placement. One appointment, usually between an hour and ninety minutes. Nothing is drilled and no anesthetic is needed. Teeth are cleaned and prepared, brackets are bonded, and the first wire goes in.
- The first week. Your teeth will feel tender for three to five days. Over-the-counter pain relief and soft food handle it. Your cheeks and lips need about a week to toughen up, and orthodontic wax bridges the gap.
- Adjustments. Every six to ten weeks, depending on where you are in the plan. Most visits are short.
- Length of treatment. Most comprehensive cases run 18 to 30 months. Limited cases can be much shorter. You get an estimate specific to your case in writing, not a generic range.
- Removal and retention. Braces come off in a single appointment, and retainers go on immediately. Retention is not optional. Teeth move for the rest of your life, and a retainer is what keeps the result. See retainers.
Living With Braces
Skip anything hard, sticky, or chewy: ice, hard candy, caramel, whole nuts, popcorn kernels, and bagels that fight back. Cut apples and carrots into pieces rather than biting into them. Brush after meals, including around each bracket, and use a floss threader or a water flosser nightly.
The patients whose results come out best are almost always the ones who kept their teeth clean. Decalcification, the white marks left where plaque sat against enamel, is permanent and entirely preventable.
If something breaks, call us. A loose bracket is not an emergency, but it is worth fixing quickly because treatment stalls without it. See emergency care.
Frequently Asked Questions About Life with Braces
How long will I need to wear braces?
Most comprehensive cases run 18 to 30 months. Simple cases can finish in under a year. The number depends on how far the teeth have to move and on how reliably you keep appointments and wear elastics if you are given them.
Do braces hurt?
“Hurt” overstates it, but there is real soreness. Placement itself is pressure rather than pain, and no injection is involved. The three to five days afterward are tender, and there is mild soreness for a day or two after each wire change. Most patients manage with over-the-counter pain relief and soft food.
What foods do I have to give up with braces?
Hard and sticky items are the problem: ice, hard candy, caramel, taffy, whole nuts, and popcorn. Chewy bread and raw apples or carrots are fine if cut into pieces. You are giving up a short list, not your diet.
How often do I come in for adjustments?
Every six to ten weeks for most patients. Visits are typically 15 to 30 minutes, and we schedule around school and work as much as the calendar allows.
Are ceramic braces as strong as metal ones?
Ceramic brackets are more brittle than steel and chip or debond somewhat more often, especially on lower teeth. They treat the same cases and get the same results, but expect a slightly higher chance of a repair visit. Our types of braces page sets the four options side by side.
Start With a Free Consultation
Broader questions about treatment, timing, and cost are answered on our orthodontic FAQ. Call 813-867-0414 or request an appointment. Traditional braces start at $500 down with no-interest in-house payment plans. We are at 10061 Beach Verbena Drive in Riverview, serving Riverview, Gibsonton, Progress Village, Ruskin, Wimauma, Brandon, Bloomingdale, FishHawk, Lithia, and Apollo Beach.