Comfortable, Accurate And Healthy Teeth Straightening

How modern orthodontics can help our Wickford patients.

It is no secret that one of the main reasons why people avoid having their teeth straightened is the thought of having to wear dental braces that are visible, and, in some cases, uncomfortable to wear. In addition to this, the wires and brackets used in conventional braces can also lead to food becoming trapped in them as they are harder to keep clean. Unless very good care is taken, your new straighter teeth may also have some decay upon completion which then needs to be treated. If we told you though, that we can now offer orthodontics which are not only almost invisible when worn, but also comfortable to wear and enable you to keep your teeth and gums clean, would this change your mind?

If the answer to the above is ‘yes’, then we are happy to be able to help you and we encourage you to arrange an initial consultation where we can discuss this in more detail. Today’s blog, though, hopefully acts as a guide to how straighter teeth can be achieved without the sometime complications of traditional braces.

No more wires and brackets

Traditionally, wire and bracket style braces have been used for both minor and more extensive teeth straightening. They are still used by us for minor corrections in some cases. However, they are now made from tooth coloured materials and are generally only worn for shorter periods of time. These are usually used to improve the appearance of the front teeth where a minor issue such as an overlapping tooth is present.

Today, we are going to focus on situations where orthodontics need to be worn for a longer period of time. This can even be for a year or more depending on the situation. We will be able to advise an expected timeframe following a consultation with the orthodontist at our Wickford practice. While traditional braces can be used, patients are increasingly opting to use a different approach in the form of Invisalign teeth straightening. This uses a completely different approach as we will now see.

Appearance

Invisalign works in the same way as traditional orthodontics; applying gentle pressure to the teeth in order to move them towards their desired position. While traditional braces do this using wires and brackets, Invisalign achieves the same by using a series of ‘trays’ that fit directly over the teeth, with each one worn for a while before being replaced by the next in the series. Each tray moves your teeth progressively to the end position. The trays themselves are made from a transparent medical grade plastic and are very discreet when being worn, with people generally not noticing that you are wearing them.

Comfort

As these trays will need to be worn for some time, comfort is an important factor. A certain level of mild discomfort may occur as pressure is applied to the teeth. This is done as gently and gradually as possible and is the main reason why this treatment can be quite lengthy. Applying too much pressure could damage the teeth. The trays themselves are made from impressions that we take of your teeth. This means that they are designed just for you and this custom method enables them to fit as comfortably as possible.

Naturally, these trays will feel strange when you first have them and will feel ‘alien’ in your mouth. You might find that you salivate more initially as your body tries to ‘flush’ a foreign object away but this will soon settle down and you are likely to forget that you have them in for most of the time.

As each tray is designed to progress the straightening, there is no need to visit the local dentist for wires to be tightened etc. Your dentist at the Cygnet Dental Practice will monitor your progress though to make sure that things are going as they should.

Healthy teeth and gums

One key benefit to the Invisalign method is that they are removable. It is important though that you don’t do this whenever you feel like it. The more you leave them out, the longer the treatment will take to complete. Having said that, they are designed to be removed by the wearer when eating and for cleaning the teeth.

The benefit of removable orthodontics means that eating doesn’t present a challenge like it can do with wired braces. Removing them means that nothing will get trapped in them and there is no risk of them becoming damaged either. You simply remove them before you eat and replace them afterwards. When eating at home, we recommend that you clean your teeth before returning them to your mouth. If you are eating out, try to swill some water around the mouth to remove food particles before returning the trays to your teeth.

You will need to make sure that you clean your teeth and gums well and also keep the trays clean so that bacteria etc doesn’t get trapped in them while you wear them. This is straightforward as you simply remove them and brush your teeth and floss as usual. Provided that you do this well, and we also recommend that you have your teeth cleaned by the dental hygienist, there is every chance that your teeth will remain healthy while you wear them. We will provide advice about how to clean your trays and general oral hygiene during the consultation.

As you can see then, straightening teeth is now possible without the ‘embarrassment factor’ and in a way that provides comfort and ease when eating and cleaning your teeth. If you would like to find out more about this, or to see how we can help have a more even smile, why not book an initial consultation with us by calling the Cygnet Dental Practice on 01268 733078.