Straighter Teeth For Adult Patients

Orthodontic treatment is not just for children writes Burton dentist, Mike Allen.

There is a common misconception amongst some people that only children should need to wear dental braces. Whilst it is important that this age group do grow up with their teeth both healthy and even, they are not the only ones, and adults who have crooked teeth don’t have to settle for that, and nor should they.

Not only do straight and even teeth look more attractive than crooked ones, and can help us to have a confident smile, but they are more likely to be healthier too. Teeth that overlap and press against each other are notoriously difficult to keep clean in the areas where even dental floss struggles to reach. At Mike Allen’s Dental Practice, we can help you to have a straight and even set of teeth to promote a healthy and attractive smile.

Dental braces

Quite a few of us will probably have known children who were at school with us who had to wear braces and suffered bullying and name calling because of it. This may well have left us with a negative opinion of them and could make us query why on earth we would want to wear braces when we were older.

Whilst playground bullying doesn’t happen to us as adults, there is no doubt that a visible set of braces can draw attention and may not always result in pleasant comments being made. This can understandably make us more anxious about being seen with braces in place and may lead to us becoming less confident as a result.

This doesn’t have to be the case though. It is now possible to have your teeth straightened in an almost invisible manner through the use of cosmetic orthodontic systems, such as those available from our Burton dental practice.

Advantage of cosmetic teeth braces

In addition to straightening your teeth, which is, of course, their most important role; cosmetic dental braces allow what can be a reasonably lengthy treatment to be carried out with the least inconvenience and embarrassment. There are two main types that we use, each for different circumstances.

Traditional style discreet braces

This type of modern orthodontic system largely mimics the method of traditional braces and are largely used where minor cosmetic corrections are needed and the treatment period is relatively short. They are more discreet and often more comfortable than traditional braces too as they don’t use metal but instead use finer and natural looking tooth coloured materials.  This helps to make them less visible whilst your teeth are being straightened.

‘Invisible’ teeth straightening trays

This system is more widely used where a number of teeth need to be straightened. Depending on what is needed, this treatment can sometimes take a year or even more to work fully so it is important that we do what we can to make this experience as positive as possible. This system doesn’t use wires and brackets and instead, uses a series of progressive straightening trays that are worn over the teeth for a few weeks at a time, with each gradually encouraging your teeth towards their end position.

There are many advantages to this method as the trays are made following the taking of impressions of your teeth. This means that the maximum level of comfort can be achieved. They are also strong, almost invisible and made from a high quality medical grade plastic.

The tray system has benefits other than discreet wearing too. They can be removed by the wearer for eating food and when cleaning the teeth. This reduces the risk of tooth decay that is often associated with traditional braces as food and bacteria become trapped in the wiring. You will need to keep the trays clean too of course, and we will provide you with instructions on how to do this.  Removing them when eating also means that you needn’t worry about trapped food becoming visible. Spinach lovers take note!

All in all then, this near invisible teeth straightening system is a great way to correct any crooked and misaligned teeth with the minimum of problems and inconvenience.

The vast majority of people who come to our Burton dental practice to have their teeth straightened probably do so less for oral health considerations, important though they are, than to improve their smile. Orthodontics can play an important part in this but we also have many other cosmetic treatments available which can help you to attain your best possible smile.

If you would like to talk to us about orthodontics or any other cosmetic treatments, you can arrange to have a consultation with one of our dentists by calling Mike Allen’s Dental Practice on 01283 845345.