Orthodontic Treatment For An Attractive And Healthy Smile
Modern teeth straightening treatments offer many benefits for our Ipswich patients.
With social media seemingly obsessed with our appearance, it perhaps isn’t surprising that cosmetic dentistry is high up on the things that appear quite frequently. While ‘gym fit’ bodies are also seen as desirable, the fact is that we tend to notice a person’s face above all else, and especially their smile. It isn’t surprising then that cosmetic dentistry is better known these days and especially among the younger generation, although older patients can certainly benefit from it too.
Most improvements tend to focus on treatments that offer a fairly quick solution, whether this be teeth whitening or veneers or even a dental implant placement when a tooth has been lost. Not all cosmetic dental issues can be corrected so quickly though and one in particular requires patience in order to achieve the smile that you want. This is the case when a patient’s teeth are crooked and uneven. You can’t simply push the teeth back into position quickly as too much stress placed upon the teeth would not only be painful but would almost certainly cause damage to the teeth and the underlying bone structure.
The ‘problem’ with patience
In order to correct the positioning of crooked and uneven teeth, it is necessary to do this slowly. While some minor corrections may be completed in just a few weeks, more significant corrections can take a year or more. Not only, in the past, has this been problematic for some patients who are perhaps more used to ‘quick fixes’ for dental issues, but they were also required to wear teeth braces that were very visible. Understandably, this put many people off having their teeth straightened at all.
Whilst it is still necessary to be patient when straightening teeth, new style orthodontics are now available which remove many of the problems associated with traditional dental braces. Broadly speaking, there are two types of these new orthodontics which are designed for specific issues. Your dentist will be able to advise which method is most suitable for you.
Updated wired braces
If you come to the Foxhall Dental Practice with a minor orthodontic issue such as a slightly overlapping front tooth, we will first of all examine the situation but may well recommend that the Quick Straight Teeth orthodontic system is used to correct it. These are similar to traditional wire and bracket style braces but are less bulky and use finer wiring but also use materials that are a similar colour to your teeth. This helps them to blend in effectively and makes them much less visible. This system is most likely to be used on the ‘social six’ teeth which are the six top and bottom teeth at the front of the mouth and which are the most noticeable when you smile. It is a fast acting system that usually corrects the problem in around six to eight weeks.
No more wires and brackets
While patients are usually happy to wear the above braces for the short period of time that they take to work, even these finer materials could present problems where braces need to be worn for a longer period of time, such as where more significant corrections need to be made. Wearing wired braces for long periods of time increases the risk of problems like tooth decay and gum disease caused by small pieces of food and bacteria that can become trapped in the wires and brackets, however well you brush your teeth.
For this reason, and for general comfort and convenience, many patients of the Foxhall Dental Practice have opted for a new type of tooth brace altogether. The main brand that we stock is called ‘Invisalign’ and it replaces the wires and brackets with a series of trays that fit directly over the teeth and which are made from a transparent medical grade plastic, rendering them almost invisible to most people around you.
The trays are made following scans that we take of your teeth and each one is designed to move your teeth a little towards their final position. Once a tray has moved the teeth as far as they are designed to do, and without putting undue force on the teeth in question, the tray is then removed and replaced by the next one in the series. This continues until your teeth are nice and even again.
While one of the main appeals is that the trays are almost invisible and therefore very discreet, they also offer a significant advantage in that, unlike regular braces, they are designed to be removed by the patient when they are eating food and for cleaning of the teeth. This is great news for wearers of these orthodontics as it allows them to eat whatever they want without difficulty and also helps to eliminate the risk of gum disease and tooth decay caused by trapped food.
We are always happy to help our patients achieve the smile that they want whether the issue is crooked teeth, discoloured teeth or any other general or aesthetic problem. If you would like to find out how we can help you, please call our Ipswich dental clinic today on 01473 258396.