shirley bracesDo you have dental misalignment? Without treatment, your uneven teeth could lead to major complications with your oral health, not to mention the beauty of your smile too. Fortunately, we can help with braces! In today’s blog, your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist and orthodontist talks about when to consider braces.

The Impact of an Uneven Smile

When you have crooked, crowded, or overlapping teeth, this could lead to malocclusion, or negative changes to your bite balance. You could be more vulnerable to complications like TMJ disorder or even bruxism (teeth grinding). In addition, uneven teeth are difficult to brush and floss thoroughly, so the risk of tooth decay and gum disease is much higher. Finally, you could feel embarrassed regarding the appearance of your smile. We want to help you and your kids enjoy optimal oral health and beautiful smiles, and we can use metal orthodontics to help you obtain better smiles!

Metal Orthodontics

Braces are an effective way to address more severe cases of misalignment. Our team will first affix metal brackets to the front facing sides of each tooth. We then connect a portion of a thin arch wire to each bracket with a band. We could apply them to the upper, lower, or both sets of teeth. During periodic visits to our office, we will adjust tension in the wire to begin shifting the teeth into proper positions. The process could talk about two years on average.

Ceramic Brackets

We know that many of our teen and adult patients are image conscious, and may hesitate to receive metal braces, even if they desire an even smile. But we can also offer an option that makes them less visible. Instead of metal, we could place brackets made from acrylic. These tooth-colored brackets are custom-made to blend with your smile. In fact, the ceramic material is often used to make lifelike dental restorations. We then connect the wires to them with clear bands. We typically reserve these for the upper teeth. Our team will let you know if we think ceramic brackets are the best choice for your smile.

If you have any questions about the dangers of dental misalignment, or if you or your child need to start orthodontic treatment, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help smiles of all ages in our community enjoy optimal alignment.

Your Shirley, NY, Orthodontist and Pediatric Dentist Offers Quality Orthodontics    

You don’t have to live with crooked, crowded, or overlapping teeth, we can help with our custom orthodontic treatments, including metal braces or braces with ceramic brackets. To learn more about how we can correct your uneven smile and prevent malocclusion, then contact Shirley Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Shirley, NY, by calling (631) 399-1600.