Teeth straightening options: With or without braces?

One of the most popular fields of dentistry that gets the attention of those who would want to have their best smile is orthodontics. Through the years, innovation and improvement in many orthodontic procedures are now getting picked up by the masses. It came to a point where questions asked before that gets answered by ‘no’ are now becoming possible. Want an example? So many patients are now asking, ‘can I have teeth straightening options other than getting braces?’, and the answer now is Yes! Let us discover different orthodontic procedures that you can choose from to address your malocclusion, bite, and jaw alignment problems.

Orthodontic options for teeth straightening

If teeth alignment is your dental problem, most dentists would automatically recommend braces. Its durability and efficiency in solving your crooked teeth are already tested through time. But because dentists and other dental professionals are now devising ways to improve the quality of treatment and care that they give to their patients, many teeth straightening options are now getting introduced and patronised all over the world. Here are some of the most common orthodontic procedures and what their pros and cons can be.

Traditional braces

Known as the go-to orthodontic procedure of most dentists in and out of Australia, this treatment has been the pioneer orthodontic treatment that revolutionised the newer options for teeth straightening. Using a wire-and bracket system made of metal, this procedure can handle even the toughest orthodontic problem because of its durability and strength of materials. The issue that most patients have with this though is its aesthetics. The appliance is bulky and very noticeable, teens using this procedure often lose their confidence in speaking in public because their braces are getting in the way of enunciating words and showing off their smile. And because the metal parts are attached to the teeth, it is somewhat uncomfortable to use and clean the teeth as well.

Ceramic and lingual braces

These are two different orthodontic procedures but are both innovations of the traditional metal braces. Ceramic braces are like the metals ones, but instead of using all-metal gear and parts, the brackets are made of tooth-colored ceramic material, making the treatment a little bit unnoticeable. It uses the same mechanics but the materials used gave a huge impact in answering the dilemma most teens have with the look of having braces. Lingual braces, on the other hand, are metal braces but are attached to the back of the teeth. This is another effort to devise a way to completely hide the metal parts brought about by this teeth-straightening option. However, if both teeth straightening options improved the look of metal braces, there are more factors that become problematic in return. One is its ability to address complicated malocclusion. Because ceramic materials are weaker and less durable than metal, dentists would recommend ceramic braces to patients with mild bite and teeth misalignment problems only. Meanwhile, lingual braces use metal parts as well, but because they are attached at the backside of the teeth, they are more uncomfortable to use. Their parts are also more prone to damage because food and the way you eat your food will largely affect its attachment to the teeth.

Damon braces

This procedure uses self-ligating brackets; these are brackets that use a sliding mechanism instead of elastic bands to hold the wires in place (like in ceramic and metal braces). While they are less noticeable than traditional braces, and treatment time may be shorter, and this can also be a more expensive option.

Clear aligners

Have you heard of Invisalign, Smile Direct Club, and ClearCorrect? These are very popular brand names of clear dental aligners in Australia. Pioneered by the Invisalign system, these removable aligners are used at least 22 hours a day to gradually move the teeth and correct their position according to the treatment plan set by high-tech digital assessment of your dental cavity. The difference they have for each brand would depend on the material used, the mode of payment, delivery or issuance of the aligners, and the number of follow-ups a patient needs to correct his teeth alignment successfully.

Which of all the teeth straightening options should I choose?

The answer to this would depend on several criteria which include your overall dental condition, your budget, and your realistic expectations. From the get-go, you can expect that the most affordable orthodontic procedure option is metal braces. Ceramic braces may be a bit more expensive, but of all the choices for braces, lingual braces are the most costly. Dental aligners are found out to be expensive as well, but because it has this reputation, the new manufacturers are devising ways to lessen some of the patient expenditures that they encounter during a treatment period. This may include fewer dental visits, delivery at-your-doorstep option, etc. our best advice that we can impart with you is to consult your family dentist so he can fully explain all the answers to your concerns and he can help you choose the best teeth straightening option for you.