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Adult Options for Straighter Teeth

2013 April 16
by admin

Clear braces at Alexandra Dental Care near Burton and Ashby

As teenagers, we probably did our best to avoid having braces fitted, preferring to live with crooked teeth rather than have to wear the old fashioned braces. Nowadays, the braces are more discreet and even come branded or in different colours. This does seem to help teenagers cope with them a lot better.

This is of little consolation for those of us who are well into our adult life and would not be seen dead wearing braces, coloured or not. As we get older though, we can become more acutely aware of our uneven teeth and wish that we could do something about it without having to wear braces.

Here, there is good news and bad news; the bad news is that braces are still the best way to straighten teeth; the good news is that there are now many types of braces available which are designed especially for adults, many of which put a large emphasis on being very discreet.

Here at Alexandra Dental Care near Burton, we offer one of the most popular of these adult braces in the form of Invisalign. These are orthodontics but not as you know them. There are no brackets or wires but the orthodontics themselves are made from a medical grade plastic and are designed to fit over the top of your current teeth.  Before they are made, x-rays and scans are taken which determine the manufacture of the Invisalign orthodontics. The orthodontics are manufactured as a series of plastic ‘aligners’ each of which work to move the teeth a little towards their correct position. When the first one has done its job, it is removed and the next one placed which continues the work of correcting the positioning of your teeth. This process continues until your teeth are in the desired position.

The orthodontics themselves are very hard to detect when being worn and unlike traditional braces, they are supposed to be removed when eating. This cuts out any social awkwardness such as food getting stuck in the wiring of the braces. It also eliminates the risk of food getting trapped and causing decay or bad breath.

Because they are comfortable to wear, most people have no problem with completing the treatment and gaining the straight teeth that they thought were no longer possible. The time taken will vary according to how uneven or straight the patient’s teeth are at the start but the ease of use and the comfort of the Invisalign braces make this less of an issue than if orthodox braces were used.

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