Two Ways To Create A Straight Smile In Less Time

Adult orthodontics have become more and more common.

Many people were not able to receive orthodontic care when they were younger. As adults, they are ready and able to do something about their smiles.

But … that does not mean that they want to wear metal braces for two years or more.

Fortunately, that’s not the only way to straighten your teeth at our dentist office. If you live in or near Sand Springs, OK, we may be able to help you with our short-term orthodontic options.

Call (918) 245-5976 or contact us online to schedule a consultation at Galleria of Smiles. We can examine your mouth, and then discuss which treatments may work for you.

Today, we will be sharing information about two services that could help you.

 

Six Month Smiles

The name is a big clue about what this kind of orthodontic care can do. In about six months, you could have a straighter and nicer-looking smile.

Six Month Smiles are different than traditional braces because of the focus of this particular treatment. Both Six Month Smiles and traditional braces use brackets and wires.

Traditional braces are intended to move all your teeth for cosmetic as well as other oral health-related reasons. Six Month Smiles are strictly focused on the cosmetic benefits of orthodontic care.

As a result of this emphasis, Six Month Smiles doesn’t reposition all your teeth. It only moves the teeth that are most visible when you smile.

To understand what we mean, find a “selfie” (or take one if you would like) or look at your smile in the mirror. Look closely to see which teeth are visible. Those are the teeth we try to move with Six Month Smiles.

This can speed up the process for two reasons. First, you are moving fewer teeth, which means less work for your braces. Second, these are the smallest and lightest teeth in your mouth. As a result, they can be moved more easily.

Six Month Smiles also uses clear brackets. This makes them less noticeable than traditional metal braces.

We’ve learned that for some patients, knowing they won’t have to wear the brackets as long makes it easier to begin working on their new smiles.

 

Invisalign®

In general, Invisalign takes longer than Six Month Smiles, but it’s still done in about half the time of traditional braces. It’s not unusual for Invisalign patients to complete their orthodontic care in about 12 months.

Invisalign’s biggest advantage may not be the shorter treatment time, however. Many people prefer Invisalign because it is such a discreet way to change their smiles.

Invisalign does away with brackets and wires in favor of aligners. These are like custom-designed, transparent, plastic mouthguards that you wear over your teeth. When the aligners are in place, they blend in with your smile. This means you can feel comfortable wearing them to work, to social gatherings, or to more private settings.

The aligners are less distracting than metal braces, but they can be equally effective for many patients.

And don’t forget that Invisalign can help you change your smile in about half the time as a typical treatment with traditional braces.

Those aren’t the only advantages of using aligners to correct your crooked smile. The aligners are removable, and you can take them out for up to a few hours per day without harming your treatment.

That means that you can continue eating all your favorite foods. You simply remove the aligners during meals, eat, clean your teeth and the aligner, and put it back on your teeth.

You will change aligners every couple weeks or so to keep your teeth moving in the right direction. That means you also won’t need to deal with having your braces tightened.

 

Good Candidates For Short-Term Orthodontics

We wish we could say that this treatment will work for everyone, but that’s not always the case. With that caveat in mind, Six Month Smiles and Invisalign can be used to correct the following issues:

▶ Overbites and underbites

▶ Crossbites

▶ Open bites

▶ Gaps between teeth

▶ Crowded teeth

▶ Crooked teeth

The best way to know if either of our short-term orthodontic options will work for you is to set up a consultation at Galleria of Smiles. Contact us online or call our dentist office in Sand Springs, OK, at 918-245-5976.