In our last blog, we looked at how Invisalign® shifts the alignment of your smile with clear aligners. But what if you or your teen has a more substantial case of misalignment? For these severe cases, we could correct smiles with traditional metal braces. In today’s blog, your Shirley, NY, pediatric dentist talks about improving smiles with braces.
When Smiles Need Braces
Metal braces are designed to address more severe cases of misalignment, the kind that may be too severe to tackle with clear aligners or retainers alone. When you have severe misalignment, this could provide places for food and drink particles to become trapped, even if you brush and floss. This leaves you vulnerable to issues like tooth decay and gum disease. The more severe alignment concerns also strain the jaw joints, so you’re more likely to develop issues like TMJ disorder or chronic teeth grinding (bruxism). This could also cause embarrassment and limit your social interactions. But with metal orthodontics, we can provide an even smile that improves oral health and your overall quality of life too!
Shifting the Alignment of Your Smile
To begin, we will carefully examine your smile with advanced imaging technology, so we can assess the cause and severity of your alignment issues and decide which is the best course of action. If we recommend braces, then we will connect metal brackets to the front facing sides of your teeth. We then connect a portion of a thin arch wire to them with a band, and may connect the upper and lower arch with bands as well. When you visit us periodically, we will adjust tension in the wire to shift your teeth gently and carefully. This total treatment time could take two years, as bone tissues must reform around these new positrons of your teeth. We could discuss options like ceramic brackets to make them less visible too.
Long-Term Benefits
When you correct your misalignment, you’re less vulnerable to cavities and periodontal concerns, and your balanced bite prevents uncomfortable disorders from occurring too. You will be able to smile with confidence and feel less self-conscious when interacting with others, which can boost your overall quality of life. We can also discuss options like phase one orthodontics for children, or retainers to help ensure your new results stay as they are. If you have any question about how we use metal braces to correct severe misalignment, or about any of our other orthodontic treatment options for kids, teens, and adults, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule Your Orthodontic Appointment Today
Call Shirley Orthodontics and Pediatrics in Shirley, NY, at 631.399.1600 to book a consultation to learn more about our metal orthodontics. We want to offer a more even and healthy smile, and that starts with an initial consultation, so reach out today.
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