CLEAR BRACES

Are you considering straightening your crooked or misaligned teeth, but hate the thought of having to go through the usual traditional metal braces, with a mouth filled with metals? Here is a quick fact! You are not limited to the typical conventional metal braces.

With recent technological changes and advancement in the orthodontic world, clear braces are gradually becoming one of the most common sorts after alternatives to traditional metal braces— this braces offer exciting benefits to the wearers and are generally discreet, designed to provide fast, impressive, and long-lasting results.

In this article, we will be unravelling some facts about clear braces, and how they might be the best solution to your dental conditions.

What Are Clear Braces?

Clear braces are quite similar to conventional metal braces. However, they make use of clear brackets, such that they are less noticeable as opposed to the traditional metal braces. This can be a considerable advantage, especially if you are considering straightening your teeth more conspicuously.

Clear Braces Vs Invisible Braces

A lot of people are often perplexed regarding the difference between explicit and invisible braces. It is quite reasonable because they are commonly used interchangeably in several cases.

While both clear braces and invisible braces may be useful in discreetly straightening crooked and misaligned teeth, they are quite different, as they both appear and function in different ways, and of course with varying prices as well. We will be looking at some of the most popular brands of clear and invisible braces that are commonly used in London, to ensure you have a clear understanding of both.

Who Can Wear Clear Braces?

Teeth straightening with clear braces are usually more effective in the teenage years— when the teeth and jaw are still developing. However, this does not necessarily mean that you can not have your teeth straightened even as an adult— thanks to modern technology, there is an increasing upsurge in the number of adults undergoing orthodontic with the use of clear braces, and exceptional results have been recorded —while Clear braces are quite useful for almost anybody, they may not be applicable for just any dental misalignments and bite conditions, more specifically in cases where the teeth are badly misaligned.

Nevertheless, you should speak to your orthodontist or dentist, as they are in the best position to determine the kind of braces you may need— it is also essential to choose wisely the right orthodontic clinic in London for your treatment, as this is equally a primary factor to consider when kick-starting your journey to a better smile.

At Cosmetic Dentistry Clinic, we have a team of an experienced dental team that can help you achieve the bedazzling smile you have always wanted— you can call us on 02071830755 to book an appointment today.

How Do Clear Braces/Aligners Work?

Clear aligners may sound great, but the treatment process is a little complex. Just like all braces, clear aligners are designed to help guide the teeth into their proper position. They make use of gradual force to control the movement of the tooth but this time, without the use of metal wires or brackets. These clear aligners are made with a durable plastic material that has been designed to fit your teeth perfectly — as treatment progresses, your orthodontist will switch aligners, each aligner slightly different so that your teeth can quickly move while adapting to every change.

The aligners can be removed for eating and cleaning of the teeth. However, they are expected to be worn for at least 20 - 22 hours a day; this will help ensure that your teeth are appropriately straightened with the speculated treatment length. A new set of aligners will be given to you every two weeks. While the effectiveness and range of the treatment are dependent on your compliance level, the length of the procedure is strictly reliant on the severity of your dental issue — and this can last for six months to two years.

Asides from the above-listed benefits, there are several other benefits to orthodontic treatment with clear aligners some of them includes:

Improved Dental Hygiene

Since Clear braces are removable, it is easier to keep clean, therefore making it easy to maintain excellent dental hygiene.

A Comfortable Treatment Option

Clear aligners are comfortable, and they are less likely to irritate the gums and cheeks.

Flexibility for eating and drinking

It allows the wearer so much flexibility to eat and drink whatever they like — in other words; there are no food restrictions.

While clear aligners may come with numerous benefits, there are also some drawbacks; which may include the following:

Not applicable to all dental conditions

Clear aligners are only useful in treating less complicated malocclusions. Hence, patients with severe overbite and gaps in teeth can barely go through this treatment option, as dental conditions like this are best treated with other treatment options like traditional metal braces.

Frequent cleaning after each meal

If you have clear aligners on, you may have to clean them frequently after each meal— it is highly recommended to avoid bacteria build-up in the teeth.

Other disadvantages include

Temporal slurring of the teeth
Frequent discomfort when changing each aligner
A high level of discipline and compliance is required to keep the braces on at all time. However, this might not be a significant drawback, as there are available alternatives to the regular removable clear aligners; they are commonly referred to as clear fixed braces.

Clear Fixed Braces: How Do They Work

Like the traditional metal fixed braces, clear braces are attached to the affected tooth, while connected with a wire. This treatment option is quite adequate and can be used in treating almost any dental misalignments

It works effectively, while allowing your orthodontist some degree of flexibility to carefully manipulate the teeth into their desired position. This treatment option is generally known to last between 18 - 24 months, depending on the severity of your condition and the brand of clear fixed braces used for the treatment since most brands offer a different treatment plan.

During each check-up, your dentist will gradually tighten and adjust the wire until the teeth are correctly straightened. While this may be very discomforting to most patients, the recent use of advanced technology has helped in reducing the level of discomfort experienced during this treatment. This is because the self-litigating technology helps to gradually move the teeth to its desired position while reducing the number of check-ups.

Clear fixed braces are made from either ceramic materials or plastic polycarbonate. However, while most clear brackets make use of metal wire to connect the clear brackets, patients may decide to choose a white archwire over the conventional metal wire. These are usually more expensive since they are not easily noticed, unless with a closer prolonged look.

After Treatment, What Next?

This is more or less like the most crucial aspect of getting your treatment, as any unplanned act during this period can lead to further dental complications. It is recommended that you follow your orthodontist’s instruction to ensure you achieve the best out of your treatment. Regardless, the following are some critical tips on how to take care of your new set of teeth:

Just like every other orthodontic treatment, it is expected that you wear your set of retainers to ensure your new teeth remains in its original
Regularly brush and floss your teeth
Clean your sets of retainers regularly
Visit your orthodontists on a routine basis, as they can help to avoid unnecessary complications while proffering suitable solutions in case of any emergencies or risks
To remove plaques or excess stains from the teeth, you may need to consider thorough dental cleaning, as they can help to remove stubborn stains from the teeth. Nevertheless, we recommend you ask your dentist for advice and recommendations before any action been taken.

Your orthodontist will provide guidelines on how to properly clean your braces. More so, we recommend you avoid eating a particular food that may damage your braces, while you still have them — some of these may include the following:

Drinks like coffee and red wine
Hard food like biscuits and nuts
Chewy food like gums and sweets
Crunch foods like apple and raw carrot, etc

This food may not only stain your teeth but may also damage your braces.

Different Brands Of Clear Braces

Clear Smile Braces

This system is quite flexible as it provides users with both a fixed brace system and an aligner system. Hence, patients can easily choose between a fixed procedure and an aligner system. While this system may provide some level of flexibility to wearers, the aligner system works more effective in straightening the front teeth while other severe conditions can only be fixed using the fixed brace system.

Damon clear braces

Damon clear braces utilise a self-litigating system that tightens the teeth gradually until the teeth are straightened— it provides some unique benefits to wearers, including the below:

Reduces the number of visits to the orthodontic: since it utilises a self-litigating system, it serves patients the stress of having to visit the orthodontist on a routine basis constantly
Continuous adjustment of teeth: the adjustment process hastens the treatment length while providing a more comfortable means of straightening the teeth with fewer complications.
Improved dental hygiene: it improves the overall oral health of a patient since the teeth are carefully cleaned from time to time.

While there are various benefits attached to Damon clear braces, they are usually expensive than other brands of clear braces, it is explained by the level of benefits they offer when compared to other braces.

Clear Step Braces

This brand has proven exceptional results in both Asian and European countries. The company designs sets of clear aligners that are entirely removable. However, to get the best out of these braces brands, It is recommended that you wear them for at least 22 hours a day.

Invisalign Braces

Invisalign clear aligners are quite popular than most braces. They are often regarded as the world-leading brand of clear aligners, as they are quite useful in proffering suitable solutions to various dental issues, included bites and other dental problems. The company behind the development of these braces was the first to design clear braces that have been used for various orthodontic treatments. They are fast-growing since their inception and have successfully introduced other varieties of aligners for solving the dental issues. Some of these includes:

Invisalign Teen: Designed for teens with unique technology that detects the number of hours the aligners are worn.
Invisalign Lite: It is used for treating mild dental conditions.
Invisalign i7: It is quite useful for patients with minor dental conditions.
Invisalign full: These braces can be used to correct varieties of orthodontic problems—the treatment length may vary but are generally known to last between 12 - 18 months.

ClearCorrect Aligners

Clear aligner is a growing brand — they are quite popular in London and the US, and can work almost the same way as the Invisalign clear aligners. While they are also removable, it is recommended that you wear them for at least 20 - 22 hours a day.

Conclusion

We hope you found this article useful. Don’t hesitate to contact Cosmetic Dentistry Clinic in London if you desire to have your teeth straightened and need the suitable brace for you or if you need more information on clear braces. Give us a call on 02071830755 today to book an appointment.