Convenient Teeth Straightening – The Modern Way
If you thought that straightening teeth required wearing ugly metal braces, it’s time to think again!
Today we will take a look at a dental problem that often gets ignored, simply because the solution is thought to be too problematic for many people. Given the choice of putting up with crooked teeth or wearing very visible metal dental braces for a long period of time; perhaps even a year or more, a lot of people will choose to put up with their teeth and leave them as they are. This isn’t a good idea for a number of reasons. The most obvious one is the way it makes your teeth look, but uneven teeth are also much more difficult to keep clean and problems such as tooth decay and gum disease are more likely to occur.
Given the fact that crooked teeth can not only look unsightly but also make some people self conscious about smiling in public, it is better to address the problem than ignore it. The good news for our Canterbury patients is that at Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic, we have a solution to the problem that resolves most of the issues usually associated with traditional braces.
‘Invisible’ orthodontics
These days, there is no need to wear highly visible metal braces. Modern technologies now allow teeth straightening to be done using a different method altogether. Both Cfast and Invisalign provide a way to have straighter teeth in a more convenient and comfortable way than before.
Both of these systems are available at our dental clinic and which one is used will depend on the outcome of your consultation with our cosmetic dentistry team who will be able to explain the pros and cons of each system before a decision is made.
Custom aligners
One key factor in the comfort of these systems, other than the design which we will come to shortly, is the fact that they are made specifically for you. Following a consultation, scans and x-rays will be taken of your teeth and these are used to produce the series of aligners that will be used to progressively straighten your teeth. Because they are made for you alone, not only will they straighten your teeth but will do so in relative comfort as they are designed to fit over your teeth.
A small amount of initial discomfort might be felt which is understandable as your mouth adapts to the aligners. Some people find that they salivate a little more initially and speech may be temporarily affected. This should subside fairly quickly and if you are worried that, for example, you have to give an important speech soon after using them, don’t worry, you can remove them for short periods such as these. But more of that a little later.
How do they work?
As previously explained, the scans that we take are used to produce a series of transparent medical grade plastic aligners. These are made to fit directly over your teeth. Each aligner is designed to move your teeth a little towards the correct position and is usually worn for around two weeks before being removed and replaced by the next in the series which continues to progress the repositioning.
How long you will need to wear these will depend on how much correction is needed. Our local dentist will be able to advise an approximate time during your consultation. It is important that this process is done gently in order to avoid any damage to your teeth. For this reason, and others, we strongly recommend that you have this treatment carried out by our dentists and don’t use one of the online offerings that are advertised on social media.
Discreet and convenient
Other than being ‘different’ to metal braces, what benefits can patients expect from either Cfast or Invisalign orthodontics?
Firstly, because they are transparent, they are much less noticeable than metal braces. In fact, most people won’t even realise you are wearing them unless they are very close to you. If you are in a situation such as the aforementioned important speech or perhaps a job interview, you can choose to remove them for the duration. It is important that you do this sparingly though as removing them for too long or too often will lengthen the treatment time. Ideally, they should be removed only when eating or when cleaning your teeth.
The oral health benefits
As we have just mentioned, these aligners are made to be removed so that you can clean your teeth properly. One major problem with the wire and bracket approach of traditional dental braces is that food can easily become trapped in them. This can also be difficult to remove by brushing and flossing and the chances of tooth decay is increased. With Invisalign orthodontics you can remove them and brush and floss your teeth to maintain healthy teeth and gums throughout the treatment.
Convenience
Other than when cleaning your teeth and giving speeches etc, one of the biggest benefits of these removable aligners is that you can remove them when eating. Anyone who has worn traditional braces will be familiar with sorting their way through a menu, often passing over dishes they would really enjoy but would be difficult to eat (and definitely no spinach dishes!). Because you simply remove your aligners when eating, you can eat whatever you want and not have to worry about your braces. We do advise that you rinse your mouth as soon as you can afterwards to minimise the amount of food trapped between your teeth and the aligners until such time as you clean your teeth.
Although we will invite you back to Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic from time to time during the process to monitor your progress, there will be no need for tightening and adjusting of the braces as is typical with regular braces.
If you are unhappy with your uneven and crooked smile and have been deterred from wearing metal braces to correct them, why not call us to arrange a consultation to see how these modern orthodontic systems can help you? If you would like to arrange one, please call our Canterbury Dental Clinic today on 01227 463529.