Three Options for Teeth Straightening Without Braces

Braces for teeth straightening have been around for centuries, and they remain the most effective way to tackle severe orthodontic issues caused by the positioning of the patient’s jaw. They also happen to be highly conspicuous appliances that are impossible to miss in the wearer’s mouth. Looking for teeth straightening treatments that do not involve having to deal with braces? This article is for you.

Teeth straightening options that do not include braces

Fortunately, you do not need to have a contraption that looks like miniature railway tracks in your mouth just to straighten your teeth. Here are some of the other options a dentist might recommend:

1. Clear aligners

These emerged a few decades ago, and they have arisen as one of the most popular ways to straighten teeth. Clear aligners work using the same idea behind traditional braces. They gradually push the wearer’s teeth towards a new position by applying a constant force on them.

Teeth straightening with clear aligners involves wearing sets of transparent, plastic aligner trays for about two weeks. The patient gets multiple sets of aligner trays to start their treatment and each set further down the line takes over from the last.

Clear aligner trays are removable appliances, which makes treatment with them more convenient than wearing braces. The trays are transparent, making them virtually impossible to detect when worn. Dentists recommend wearing clear aligners for at least 22 hours each day for the treatment to be effective. Average treatment times with clear aligners are anywhere between 6 to 24 months.

2. Veneers

Veneers are tooth-shaped restorations that are used to cover the front part of teeth. They are purely cosmetic restorations, but they can be used to deal with some teeth alignment issues like crooked or misaligned teeth.

Veneers are typically used to straighten teeth when the patient has other issues that warrant the use of veneers. Placing veneers on teeth often requires removing enamel from the teeth being treated. This alters them permanently, so they will always need restorations to protect them moving forward.

Getting veneers requires multiple trips to the dentist. The first visit involves preparing the patient’s teeth and getting an impression that will be used to make their custom veneers. The second visit is used to install the patient’s permanent veneers. It should be noted that veneers do not fix teeth alignment issues, they only create the appearance of straight teeth. Other procedures like composite bonding and teeth recontouring can also be used to create the illusion of straight teeth.

3. Surgery

Typically reserved for the most severe cases, a dentist might be able to straighten a patient’s teeth by repositioning their jaw via a surgical procedure. The procedure is called orthognathic surgery and takes up to three weeks to recover from. Surgical treatments are used as a last resort when it comes to teeth straightening.

Get your teeth straightened

Dealing with teeth alignment issues? Call or visit our Brevard clinic to learn more about how our dentist can straighten your teeth.

Request an appointment here: https://www.carolinasmilesdentist.com or call Carolina Smiles Family Dental at (828) 974-3326 for an appointment in our Brevard office.

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