Working to achieve a beautiful smile is an excellent way to rebuild your confidence and overall well-being. As a patient looking for teeth straightening options, you benefit from several options depending on your dental needs. Conducting research beforehand is essential, as it allows you to identify the most suitable choice and the merits and demerits of different treatment methods.
As you research the most suitable teeth-straightening option, consider working closely with an experienced dentist. Their experience is essential to the final results, as they understand the teeth-straightening procedure. You can count on them to provide guidance and valuable services for your well-being. A reliable dental team also schedules follow-up sessions to ensure the chosen teeth straightening procedure presents the desired results.
How to Identify a Suitable Teeth Straightening Option
Living with teeth misalignment is a valid reason to seek teeth straightening options. Many patients face tooth misalignment after losing their primary teeth owing to various reasons, resulting in the need for dental procedures.
Different patients present varying manifestations of misalignment that often interfere with their appearance and overall well-being. As a result, teeth straightening options are beneficial for restoring a beautiful smile and upholding dental health.
The first step towards choosing a suitable teeth straightening option is consulting a trusted orthodontist about your oral health status. Based on their analysis, you can determine the misalignment you are suffering from and how to treat it.
Teeth Straightening Options To Consider
Upon consulting your dentist, they inform you of the possible teeth straightening options for obtaining proper teeth alignment. You can present the information you found during your research to expand the point of discussion with your dentist and to ask questions, if any.
You can expect your dentist to recommend the following teeth-straightening options during your initial consultation:
Traditional Braces
Traditional braces are the earliest treatment method to realign teeth, giving them a straighter appearance. They have evolved to make them more efficient, but the basic designs remain the same. Braces comprise an aluminum wire, a metal bracket, and elastic bands to secure the wire.
Dentists combine the three components to create a dental system that introduces gentle pressure on the teeth, pushing them into the desired position. To do this, the dentist first sticks a metal bracket on your tooth surface, creating the base onto which they attach the aluminum wire and elastics.
After securing metal brackets on each tooth, they pass the aluminum wire through each bracket and ensure it sits correctly. This step is especially important because the wire provides gentle pressure to initiate tooth straightening. As a result, your dentist may realign the wire a few times to confirm its position before winding it to tighten the pressure around the teeth.
Once the dentist winds the wire around your teeth, you experience discomfort as the wire force causes immediate pressure on the teeth. Your dentist fixes elastics as the final step to secure the wire in position, making it less likely for the wire to come undone and cause complications. Setting elastics is a quick and painless step, marking the end of the brace installation process.
Using traditional braces to straighten teeth is a gradual process that involves changing the wire and adjusting the pressure on the teeth. As you begin treatment, your dentist will likely use thick wires that apply more pressure than when treatment is about to conclude. Introducing a significant pressure level is essential because it softens the gums around your teeth, making it easier for them to move.
As tooth positions shift, your dentist relies on wires of different sizes to maintain the pressure needed for proper tooth alignment. You can expect to attend appointments every few weeks to allow the dentist to make the necessary adjustments. They also use these regular checkups to determine whether the current treatment methods are working or if they need to seek other options.
While traditional braces are a reliable teeth-straightening option, they present a few disadvantages that make them less popular. For example, you must restrict your options by avoiding hard foods like nuts, candy, apples, and crunchy vegetables. The rationale is to prevent breaking your brackets, as it would interfere with treatment and slow down how soon you receive the desired results.
Upholding healthy oral hygiene is essential, and some patients may find it challenging to maintain a good brushing routine because the brackets make it hard to reach tooth spaces. Nevertheless, your dentist provides alternative teeth-cleaning options like interdental brushes to help you maintain clean teeth.
Self-Ligating Braces
Traditional braces have improved in design to eliminate features that often cause inconvenience and slow patient treatment. Among these are elastics, which are often prone to breakage or misplacement during treatment when exposed to high tension or excessive brushing force.
Self-ligating braces have a metal flap attached to the bracket that snaps closed when the dentist places the wire. The self-ligating mechanism makes it easier to hold the wire for extended durations and reduces the need to change elastics every few days. This way, you receive efficient teeth straightening treatment without worrying about maintaining your elastics or breaking the wire off.
Lingual Braces
Lingual braces are also a variation of traditional braces, and the significant difference is that the brackets are attached to the inner tooth surface instead of the outer one. They are, therefore, an excellent option for patients looking to receive teeth straightening treatment discreetly, as they are less conspicuous.
They introduce gentle pressure and push for teeth realignment like traditional braces, so you can expect to complete treatment simultaneously. However, you should consider the disadvantages of lingual braces compared to traditional ones before settling for them. The main disadvantage is that they may cause regular tongue injuries and interfere with your speech. Despite this, each challenge affects patients differently, as you do not necessarily have to deal with the same.
Invisalign Plates
Using Invisalign plates is an additional teeth straightening option that has become more popular thanks to the discreet design and ease of use. The plates are made of durable plastic material and take up the shape of your dental structure.
Your dentist, however, varies the tooth positions when creating the Invisalign plates to mimic the desired tooth positions. In doing so, your teeth face gentle pressure to move from their current position to fit the plates, promoting their realignment.
Like traditional braces, you must change the plastic Invisalign plates during each appointment to reinforce the necessary pressure for teeth straightening. As a result, your dentist issues new plates every two weeks to a month until they notice significant improvements in your dental structure. Treatment will conclude after your teeth fall into the desired spaces based on the projected models your dentist relied on to plan your treatment.
Invisalign treatments are more popular because they allow you to continue your everyday life as your teeth straighten. This is primarily because you can remove the plates when eating, brushing, or any other time when necessary, making it a more convenient treatment method.
Nevertheless, you must wear the Invisalign plates for at least twenty-two hours daily to notice significant teeth-straightening results. You should, therefore, uphold a consistent routine, especially if you look forward to shortening the treatment time to attain tooth alignment sooner.
Tooth Crowns and Veneers
Alternative teeth straightening options, like crowns and veneers, are also suitable for patients who do not present severe teeth misalignment. Crowns involve placing an artificial tooth on the surface after removing the natural one, especially if you suffer from painful tooth decay or enamel loss. You may replace your entire dental structure with crowns, but it is a more expensive option than other methods like braces and Invisalign.
Veneers are a faster teeth straightening option because they cover your natural teeth enamels and create a new outward appearance immediately after the procedure. They comprise a pre-made dental plate that resembles your natural teeth and is adequately aligned. Before fitting veneers, your dentist must shape your natural teeth to accommodate the plates. Afterward, they fit the veneers and secure them in position, giving you an improved smile.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Teeth Straightening Options
While multiple teeth straightening treatment options are available, your dentist recommends the most effective for your condition to ensure the remedy works. Before recommending a treatment option, they must consult their tests to help them determine whether the method will achieve the desired results. The following are common factors to consider when choosing teeth straightening options:
The Type of Misalignment You Have
Dental misalignments vary based on multiple circumstances, making it essential to undergo a dental examination with a trusted orthodontist. For example, people with genetic predispositions may be more prone to tooth misalignment if their parents pass on specific traits. If one of your parents has a small jaw and the other has more prominent teeth than usual, you may face teeth crowding, resulting in the need for teeth straightening options.
Similarly, tooth misalignment may arise based on habits like thumb sucking that result in an overbite. Additional habits, like pushing objects against your teeth to fidget, may cause underbite misalignments. Moreover, you may lose teeth due to poor oral hygiene, causing teeth to misalign as they move to fill the empty gaps.
Once your dentist examines your case, they recommend the most effective treatment method based on their past treatment experiences. For example, if using metal braces is more effective than Invisalign to restore your smile, your dentist explains the reasoning and benefits of rationalizing your treatment.
How Long Do You Prefer to Receive Treatment?
Further, your dentist considers the treatment duration necessary to attain the required goal and tries to align it with your treatment goals. They do this to help you maximize the available time, as they understand that you may have other considerations to consider when receiving teeth straightening options.
For example, if you travel frequently, you may require a treatment option. Allows you to schedule spaced appointments. You may also specify to your dentist that you prefer to finish your treatment before moving away permanently due to work or study demands. The dentist will thus consider your requests when recommending a suitable treatment option.
Although you may present your timeline preferences, consider following your dentist’s directives, as their research on your case gives them better insight into the estimated treatment time. Based on this, you may need to settle for a treatment option you did not anticipate if it presents better overall results.
Whether You Prefer Discreet Treatment
Your aesthetics are also a vital determinant of the most suitable teeth straightening option for treatment. This is especially important if your work involves multiple interactions with third parties or maintaining specific aesthetics. For example, if you are a presenter or an actor, your job demands that you keep the same image for extended periods.
As a result, consider presenting these concerns to your dentist, as they will guide you in choosing a proper teeth straightening option. For example, actors may settle for clear or lingual braces because they draw less attention than traditional metal braces. Alternatively, you may choose an Invisalign treatment because the plastic plates are detachable.
Preparing for Teeth Straightening Treatment
Once your dentist guides you on choosing a suitable teeth straightening treatment option, you must undertake the preparation process soon after. Doing so makes your treatment process smoother, allowing you to see results sooner.
You receive guidelines from your dental team throughout the preparation process so you can skip missing essential steps. Further, your dentist remains available for consultations on emerging concerns as you prepare for treatment. The following are crucial pretreatment steps to undergo:
- Providing your medical history.
- Undergoing a physical examination.
- Having X-rays and 3-D images taken.
- Taking teeth impressions.
- Undergoing pre-treatment processes like teeth extractions.
Every step is crucial for tooth alignment, so your dentist advises you to adhere to their directives and attend your appointments. They also ask you to check in even after treatment to monitor your new tooth alignment and ensure your improved smile does not revert.
Contact a Dentist Near Me
When you or a loved one intends to improve their smile, you must research the most suitable teeth-straightening option. Your research should reflect your preferences, concerns, and current dental condition to ensure your chosen treatment option meets your needs sufficiently.
At The Lakewood Dentist, you receive quality orthodontic services founded on years of experience and skilled dentists. Our team is equipped to handle your dental needs, helping you achieve your desired smile. If you or a loved one is looking into teeth straightening options, call us today at 562-423-1441.