Lingual Braces: Straighten Your Teeth Without Anyone Knowing!
Lingual braces can achieve the same effect as traditional orthodontics in a manner that is inconspicuous and undetectable. By discreetly attaching the braces to the back of the teeth instead of the front, Dr. T.C. Hardy can help you achieve straight, healthy and beautiful-looking teeth. Consider the benefits of lingual braces when you are deciding which orthodontic appliance you want!
How Do Lingual Braces Work?
No matter what braces option you are going to get, we always meet with patients to first have an orthodontic consultation. At this consultation, Dr. Hardy will examine your teeth, checking their straightness as well as your bite and alignment. The size of your teeth matter if you request to have lingual braces put on your teeth. Dr. Hardy will examine the backs of your teeth to determine if you are a candidate to receive them and if brackets and wires will comfortably fit on the tongue-side of your mouth.
Once Dr. Hardy has determined that you are an ideal candidate for lingual braces, he will take impressions of your teeth that are then sent to a lab for custom-made brackets and wires. At your next appointment, we will gently bond the metal to the back of your teeth with the attached brackets. We will then run a metal wire through the brackets. The process is quite similar to what is done with patients who choose traditional metal braces on the front of their teeth. However, instead of your cheeks adjusting to the feel of the brackets, your tongue will be the part adjusting to the new appliance. At each appointment, Dr. Hardy will examine your teeth and adjust the wires as needed to straighten your teeth properly.
Facts About Lingual Braces
- You can achieve the same results as traditional braces, only with a hidden treatment apparatus on the tongue-side of your teeth.
- These braces have to be custom-made to the back of your teeth, because teeth size can vary from patient to patient.
- Children are not usually candidates for lingual braces. It all depends on their age and the size of their teeth. Baby teeth are small and with many patients, there is not room to fit brackets and wires on the back of the teeth. Children who have larger teeth may be candidates.
- Adults use these braces much more often than teens and children for both reasons of teeth-size and professional/social aspects.
- Patients who play wind instruments will have an easier time playing if they have lingual instead of traditional metal braces.
- A dentist must take continuing education courses and receive additional training in order to provide lingual orthodontic options to patients. This means that not all dentists give patients this option like Dr. Hardy does.
- Brackets placed on the back of the teeth are ones that others will not be able to see. You can go throughout your entire orthodontic process without others knowing that you have braces. However, others will notice your teeth becoming straighter over time.
- Because lingual braces are made of metal brackets and wires (just like traditional braces), they are able to correct bite and alignment issues. Other braces options like Invisalign, are not able to do that.
- You may want to invest in a waterpik for your teeth. Lingual braces have brackets, so food can get stuck in them, which is why you would want a waterpik to get the food out.
- Patients can care for their lingual braces the same as they would traditional metal braces.
How Do They Compare?
In the past, there weren’t many options when it came to straightening your teeth. Many cultures simply tried cruel methods of pushing and forming the teeth until metal braces were created. Over several decades, metal braces were changed and adapted to how people lived. In modern times, people are ever busy and on-the-go. Aesthetics plays a huge role in how people view themselves and how others view them. This is why hidden orthodontics were created.
Lingual braces are a great way to straighten your teeth in secret. Your other options include:
- Traditional Metal Braces: These are almost the same as lingual braces, except they are made of silver metal alloys instead of gold ones. The brackets and wires go on the front of the teeth, where they are noticeable to others.
- Ceramic Braces: Similar to metal braces, this orthodontic appliance also rests on the front of your teeth. They are made of white, ceramic material, helping them to blend in more with the teeth. However, they are still somewhat noticeable.
- Invisalign Treatment: This orthodontic option involves no brackets and wires bonded to your teeth. You receive a set of transparent aligners custom-made for your teeth each week, that you wear for 20-22 hours of every day. However, although this option makes oral hygiene easier, they cannot help many bite and alignment issues. That is why patients opt for a discreet lingual option that can correct those issues.
Getting Your Lingual Braces
At Belmar Orthodontics, we know that getting braces is a big deal for teens, adults, and even children. Patients worry about their appearance often, which is why options such as Invisalign and lingual braces were invented in the first place. We are excited to be able to offer adults and teenagers an alternative to traditional metal braces with hidden lingual braces! If you want to know more about these braces or want to schedule your consultation, call Belmar Orthodontics today at (303) 225-9016!
Straightening Your Teeth Incognito-Style
Unlike traditional braces, Incognito or lingual braces are placed on the back of your teeth where they cannot be seen easily. This hidden orthodontics method is growing in popularity among those concerned about their appearance with braces. Incognito braces are completely customized to fit your mouth. If you are a working professional, a teen concerned about your appearance, a musician who plays a wind instrument, an athlete who engages in contact sports, or anyone who needs to keep the tooth-straightening behind the scenes, Incognito braces may be for you! What do Miley Cyrus, Duchess Kate Middleton, and Myleene Klass have in common? They all have benefited from the use of lingual braces! You can too!
Braces Are the Best Way to Straighten Teeth
There are many changes you can make to your appearance to help you get a leg up in your social and professional life. One of the best ways to do that is through straightening your smile. The only problem? You have to have your teeth professionally straightened so that they are done right. That’s why orthodontists exist and that’s what we specialize in—straightening your teeth.
Braces can not only improve your smile, but they can improve your confidence as well. Countless studies show that those who straighten their teeth end up having higher self esteem and confidence. Some studies—such as one done by Invisalign—showed that those with straighter teeth were perceived as more confident, successful, attractive and even trustworthy. Not bad for simply changing your smile, right?
Braces also help keep your teeth healthier. How? Crooked teeth provide plaque (and the food that makes plaque) plenty of places to get stuck. Food that becomes stuck is food that will eventually start wearing away your tooth enamel. Food particles become stuck much easier with crooked teeth than they do with straight teeth. Crooked teeth are harder to clean, are more awkward in your mouth, and they can even break easier. When you bite and chew, you exert pressure on your teeth to break up food into smaller pieces. That pressure can cause crooked teeth to crack or break, as some teeth with receive more pressure than other teeth. Straightening your teeth through braces is the best way to get your teeth healthier and prevent broken teeth.
For many adults, the thought of wearing braces for months makes them not want to straighten their teeth. That’s despite all the benefits straightening your teeth can give you. Many adults think of traditional metal braces and don’t want others to see a mouth full of metal. Millions have felt this way, so technology changed to allow adults (and even teens) the option of straightening your smile in secret.
Incognito Lingual Braces
One of the best ways we straighten your teeth in secret is through Incognito lingual braces. If you’ve never heard of these, then you’re in for a treat! Traditional metal braces straighten the teeth amazingly well. That’s why these braces are referred to as “traditional” metal braces. However, some patients don’t love the thought of having a “metal mouth”. The remedy for that? Braces that lie behind the teeth instead of front and center on the teeth. We call these “incognito” braces because they are a hidden metal apparatus on the tongue-side of your teeth. It’s the perfect solution for having the strength and power of metal braces without compromising your appearance.
Millions of people wear braces each year. At least 1/4th of braces wearers are children and about the same amount are adults. Adults need options that allow them to keep their smile white and bright while also straightening it. We custom-make metal brackets for the back of each of your teeth after taking impressions of your mouth. We fit the metal to your teeth and will include brackets and an archwire just like traditional braces. Except, the entire appliance will stay hidden. Others will notice your smile improving over time, but they won’t know that it’s changing through metal braces. Straightening your teeth is easy through Incognito-style braces.
You Have Options
If you’re not completely sold on the idea of Incognito braces, you can call our office to learn more or even come in to the office to see these type of braces for yourself. However, we do have other options you can utilize for straightening your teeth. If you are looking for a similar discrete option comparable to lingual braces, you can investigate Invisalign.
Invisalign is a series of transparent aligners that transform your smile into something beautiful. You simply receive custom aligners every 1-2 weeks that slowly shape your smile into the straight pearly whites you’ve always wanted. You can remove the aligners for eating and drinking, sports activities, and for cleaning your teeth. It’s a simple, no-hassle option for straightening your teeth.
Clear, ceramic braces are also an option for those who like the idea of braces but also want them to be more hidden than metal on white teeth. Our ceramic materials mimic traditional metal braces (which we also offer), but these materials are naturally white, so they will blend in with your teeth. We can even make the archwire white as well. When it comes to straightening your teeth, you have options. However, our patients love the sturdiness of our Incognito lingual braces mixed with the hidden nature of this type of braces. We think you’ll love this option as well!
Improve Your Smile
If you could boost your confidence and self esteem, would you do it? You can through incognito braces! The best part about these amazing appliances is that no one ever has to know you are wearing braces. However, they will notice how awesome your smile looks. Others may even follow your example and straighten their own teeth. If you want to improve your smile today, don’t hesitate to take action! Call our Belmar Orthodontics office today at (303) 225-9016 to learn more about Incognito lingual braces!
