Are too many people deterred from having their teeth straightened because they don’t want to wear braces?

Are you one of those people who looks in the mirror at your Teeth and feels frustrated because they look good apart from them being uneven? If so, you are far from alone.

Whilst an increasing number of people are happy to have treatments such as teeth whitening which take a short period of time to work, some are put off the idea of having their Teeth Straightened due to the length of time they might have to wear braces.

Although there are some fast acting orthodontics, such as Cfast, that can provide solutions to minor problems in just a few months, many crooked teeth problems will require the patient to wear braces for a year or more. Understandably, this does put some people off.

Should you have your teeth straightened?

It might be tempting not to bother having your teeth straightened and to leave them as they are, even if they are crooked. The obvious disadvantage of this is the effect it has on your appearance, and crooked teeth can really spoil what might otherwise be an attractive smile. Fewer people seem to recognise the more practical problems of crooked teeth though. They are much harder to keep clean, and teeth that are very tight against each other or which overlap can lead to food and bacteria getting trapped in areas that are very difficult to keep clean. This may well lead to tooth decay and gum disease problems.

There is also the issue of incorrect alignment which can lead to uneven wearing of the teeth, leading to sensitive and even damaged teeth.

‘Braces’ have changed

At Bradley and Partners Dental and Implant Clinic, we provide a range of teeth straightening systems for Canterbury dental patients that can straighten all types of tooth misalignment. Where more than a cosmetic improvement is needed, we generally use Invisalign orthodontics. Not only is this an excellent and reliable system, but offers many benefits for the wearer for the duration of the treatment. Unlike traditional dental braces that are made from wires and brackets and which have to remain in the mouth for the year or so of wearing them, Invisalign orthodontics are removable by the patient. This isn’t their only advantage either.

Discreet teeth straightening

The big appeal for most people that choose this system is that they are difficult to detect by others when you are wearing them. This is because they use no wires or brackets and, instead, use a series of transparent ‘trays’ that fit directly over the teeth. These trays are made from impressions of your own teeth to ensure a comfortable fit and are made from a high quality medical grade plastic.  Each tray is worn for a week or two before the next in the series is used to replace it. Each tray will gradually ease your teeth towards their final position.

The generally discreet appearance of these trays is one of the main reasons that people are happy to have their teeth straightened this way, but it isn’t the only one.

Removable dental braces?

Yes, unlike traditional braces, you can take Invisalign trays out yourself and replace them afterwards. A big word of warning here though, although you can do this, you should only do so for reasons we will discuss in a minute. If you take these out for longer periods of time, this will lengthen the overall time that you will need to wear them for. You should only remove them when necessary.

Eating

The great thing about Invisalign is that you can remove them when you want to eat. This makes eating much more practical than with regular braces and means that you don’t have to worry which foods will get stuck in the braces. You can eat anything that you want and then replace the trays afterwards. Where practical, such as at home, you should always avoid food becoming trapped between your teeth and the trays. A ‘temporary’ way to do this could be to swill the mouth out with water. A more thorough brushing and flossing of your teeth and cleaning of the tray (instructions will be provided) should be maintained though for good long term oral health.

Socialising

It might be tempting to take advantage of Invisalign’s ‘removability’ when you are out socialising with friends. We don’t recommend this at all as this could be for lengthy periods of time, and probably on a regular basis as well. By all means, remove them if you are eating at a restaurant with them, but do keep them in most of the time. There might be exceptions to this rule of course. An example of this might be a first date or an interview where you need your maximum level of confidence. In these situations, removing them for a short time is acceptable but do remember to return them as soon as you can.

Side effects

Any side effects of wearing Invisalign are typically temporary and relatively minor. As you might expect, when you initially wear the trays, they might feel a little strange and you might find that you salivate more than usual as your body will see them as a foreign object. Some people also find small changes to their speech when they first wear them. These issues are usually temporary though and should stop soon after you have started to wear them.

If you would like to have straighter teeth and would like to discuss this with our Canterbury based team, please call Bradley and Partners Dental and Implant Clinic to arrange an appointment on 01227 463529.

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