Your Braces from Start to Finish
There are many things to think about when deciding to receive your braces. What type of braces should you choose? What age should you receive those braces? Then, after deciding what method of teeth straightening you want, you then have to learn how to properly care for your teeth. You will also have to get used to sometimes having sore teeth after your appointments and fitting in seeing the dentist. We can help you to know about your braces appliance from choosing a braces type, cleaning them, and avoiding tooth decay while you get a straighter smile.
Choosing Your Braces Style
Receiving braces is an exciting time for many people. It is the start of a better smile and a better you. But before you can get that straighter, more beautiful smile, you have to choose what style of braces you want. We offer:
- Traditional Metal Braces – These are the classic metal bracket and wire option that is most commonly chosen by patients. Patients who chose this option come in to have their wires tightened at each appointment.
- Ceramic Braces – These braces are a close cousin to metal braces. They have the same bracket and wire design of metal braces, except that they are made out of ceramic material. This helps decrease demineralization during your orthodontic treatment. Ceramic material is also naturally white, helping these braces to blend in with your teeth more than metal would.
- Lingual Braces – These are metal braces that are placed on the back of your teeth. Instead of just a square bracket, the metal must be custom-made to the shape of the back of your teeth. This is a discrete option that adults and teens love.
- Invisalign Treatment – This is the most invisible option available to our patients. Invisalign is a series of transparent aligners that you wear at night and throughout the day. You can remove them for eating, playing sports, cleaning your teeth and more.
Getting Your Braces Put On
After you’ve chosen the style of braces you want, you need to have them fitted to your mouth. 3 out of the 4 options available to you will be bonded to your actual teeth. At our office, we make sure your teeth are thoroughly cleaned and dried before we bond brackets to them. With metal braces, we will use a cement bonding glue to adhere a metal bracket to the center of each of your teeth. Your back molars might receive a band that goes all the way around the tooth.
Once the metal bracket is cemented to the center of each tooth, we will pass a small metal archwire through each bracket both on top and on bottom. In the end, you will end up with a wire across the teeth on your upper jaw and across the teeth on your lower jaw. The glue we use may taste a bit unpleasant, but it is otherwise harmless. The entire process of getting your brackets and wires placed on your teeth will be between 1 and 2 hours.
The Process for Other Options
Depending on what option you have chosen, your braces process might be a bit different. Ceramic braces are applied the same way that metal braces would be, as they too consist of brackets and wires. However, if you choose to get lingual braces, we can’t simply place brackets on the backs of your teeth. Once Dr. Hardy has determined that you are an ideal candidate for lingual braces, he will take impressions of your teeth. He then sends them to a lab so that your brackets and wires can be custom made. The braces will then be bonded behind your teeth at a separate appointment.
For Invisalign treatment, we design a series of transparent aligners that you will switch out each week. We can take digital impressions of your mouth that we will use to design your aligners. We use a digital scanning system that sends images to a state-of-the-art printing machine. Then, each week you will have new aligners that you will simply replace. It’s that easy!
Your Orthodontic Experience
Most patients will have braces for 18-24 months. Some people don’t like braces, but the majority of people do. You can choose the style of your braces and if you want them to be hidden or noticeable. You can also dress up your braces with colorful bands if you so desire. Braces require more care than what you are used to. You must take more time with brushing and flossing, even using tools such as a waterpik, proxabrush and floss threaders to fully remove food from your braces. You must clean your teeth thoroughly to avoid tooth decay during your time with braces. We can show you how to do all of this at our office.
Each patient will come in every 4-6 weeks for orthodontic checkups. This is where we will examine your braces and how your teeth are moving. You will experience initial soreness and discomfort after you first get your braces. You might have this discomfort every time your braces get tightened as well. A simple over-the-counter pain reliever should help you as well as eating soft foods. Having braces changes life a little bit when it comes to cleaning your teeth (which takes longer), but the benefits far outweigh everything else. At the end of your treatment, you will have an amazing, beautiful smile that is sure to wow everyone around you. If you want to know more about your braces options, or want to get started on your journey today, call Belmar Orthodontics today at (303) 225-9016!
5 Advantages of Invisalign Treatment
Are you thinking about straightening your teeth? A straighter smile through Invisalign treatment or other orthodontic options will set you on a path to more confidence and success. Lakewood Invisalign treatment not only works to improve your smile, but it also comes with amazing advantages over traditional braces. Not only is invisalign treatment virtually invisible on your teeth, but the aligners are easy to remove and work well with your lifestyle. Read on for more advantages of Invisalign treatment!
Invisalign and Invisalign Teen
You may have heard of Invisalign treatment before. This type of orthodontic treatment has been around for about 20 years, but has continually gained popularity—especially among adults and teenagers. We offer an alternative to traditional metal braces that can discreetly straighten your teeth while improving the functionality of your smile. Invisalign does all this without anyone knowing that you are even straightening your teeth!
Invisalign is a series of transparent aligners that gently move your teeth into a straighter position. You meet with us for an Invisalign consultation and we are able to take digital images of your teeth. With these, we make a model of your mouth and plan out a trajectory of your straightening treatment. Based off of your mouth, we design transparent aligners that will be switched out every 1-2 weeks. You wear these aligners throughout the day and night to move your teeth into that beautiful straight smile you’ve always wanted. They can even correct bite and malocclusion problems.
Advantages of Invisalign
There are many advantages to Invisalign treatment, which is why our patients love this option!
- It’s designed to be virtually unnoticeable on your teeth. The aligners are clear and fit snug to your teeth, meaning no one will know you’re wearing them.
- The aligners can easily be removed during eating, drinking, flossing and brushing. You can’t do that with any other braces option, as all the other options are cemented to your teeth. Being able to remove the aligners makes it so you have freedom with your treatment, especially if you need to remove the appliance to play sports.
- Less office visits are typically needed compared to traditional braces. You only need to come into the office every 4-6 weeks at a time.
- Teeth are easier to clean for optimum oral health during treatment. You simply remove the aligners at night, clean them, and clean your teeth as you normally would. Flossing is quick and easy, as are brushing your teeth. Traditional braces take much longer to clean.
- Total time for optimal results is usually shorter than metal braces treatment. If you need only slight orthodontic correction, you won’t need Invisalign treatment for very long.
How Do the Other Options Compare?
There are various types of orthodontic options out there besides Invisalign treatment. Traditional metal braces are the most common orthodontic appliances because they are the cheapest option for straightening your teeth. These appliances involve very visible metal brackets attached to the center of each tooth with a metal archwire that passes through the brackets on top and bottom. Lingual braces are also metal braces, but they are attached to the back of your teeth. Clear braces are a very close cousin to metal braces, as they are built the same, but out of ceramic material that is white like your teeth. All options will straighten your teeth very well, but Invisalign is the most invisible option you can have. This is why adults and teens alike love Invisalign treatment so much.
You can use Invisalign treatment for simple straightening cases or complex bite and malocclusion cases. It’s invisible and you can see how your teeth move at every stage of your treatment. You can’t do that as clearly with other types of braces, but must wait until the end of treatment to see your smile. Studies also suggest that teens who do Invisalign treatment (as compared to other orthodontic methods) are 2 times more likely to have a boost in their self esteem. Who wouldn’t want that?
Your Experience with Clear Aligners
We believe that smiles are meant to be shared. However, many people with braces shy away from smiling because of the metal in their mouth. This is common with traditional metal braces, especially with adults. However, a straighter smile can do wonders for your professional and social life. Studies show that a straighter, more beautiful smile can make you more attractive to others. An amazing smile not only boosts your confidence, but can make you more successful because you feel more confident. You’ll smile more, drawing others to you and you will even be happier.
Invisalign has conducted their own research about straighter smiles and what they do for you. After orthodontic treatment, a person with a straighter smile has a leg up on their competition when it comes to landing a job. Employers are more likely to employ someone with a straighter, healthier smile because it makes them appear healthier and successful. People perceive people with straighter teeth as 58% more likely to be wealthy, 45% more successful, 47% more likely to be healthy and 38% smarter. 73% of people are also more likely to trust someone with straight teeth over someone who has crooked teeth.
Your Invisalign Treatment
If you want a straighter smile, don’t wait to get it! With the clear, removable aligners that Invisalign uses, Dr. Hardy can help you gradually move your teeth into their proper position. He can also correct malocclusion (bites that don’t close correctly), without the discomfort and presence of metal braces. When you select Invisalign to correct your smile, no one else has to know! To learn more about this braces option, call Belmar Orthodontics today at (303) 225-9016!
