In addition to impacting the appearance of your smile, misaligned teeth, crowded teeth, and other orthodontic problems can cause you to have difficulty brushing and flossing your teeth. Over time, this issue can result in dental problems. Fortunately, you can achieve a beautiful smile and reduce your chances of suffering from teeth issues by getting ceramic braces and other orthodontic techniques at Bowman DMD in Fort Walton Beach, FL.

Do Ceramic Braces Take Longer Than Metal Braces?

Ceramic braces are clear brackets that are much more discreet than traditional metal braces. If you use these braces to improve your smile, people might not be able to tell that you are wearing braces unless they look very closely at your mouth. That said, under certain circumstances, this innovative option can take a bit longer to improve your teeth than traditional metal braces.

A Longer Process

Since ceramic brackets are not as durable as metal brackets, your braces may take longer to move your teeth into the proper position. You also need to understand that ceramic brackets are more likely to break than metal brackets. If you damage your braces, you should promptly visit our office to repair your broken ceramic brackets. If you do not address this issue in a timely fashion, the overall length of your treatment will increase.

Choosing an Orthodontic Treatment

Although ceramic brackets may take a slightly longer period of time to improve your teeth, this technique is a great way to avoid wearing visible brackets during your treatment. However, if you are not confident that you can care for this type of braces, we will probably advise you to use a different technique to improve your smile.

For example, if you regularly play sports, we may advise you to use Invisalign to correct your teeth issues. This orthodontic treatment uses clear aligners to improve your teeth. Since you can take off your aligners when you play your sport, you will not have to worry about damaging your ceramic brackets.

What Are the Benefits of Using Braces to Correct My Orthodontic Issues?

Obtaining a straight, even smile will improve your appearance and enhance your health.

Obtain a Beautiful Smile

Scientific studies have established that people who have straight teeth are perceived to be more intelligent, happier, and more successful than people who have dental issues. As a result, straightening your teeth is likely to make you feel more beautiful and confident. In addition, obtaining straight teeth may help you achieve success in your personal and professional endeavors.

Avoid Dental Issues

If your teeth are very crooked, you might have difficulty successfully cleaning your gums and teeth when you floss and brush. For example, you might struggle to thoroughly clean each of your teeth with a toothbrush.

Straight, uncrowded teeth are much easier to clean in a thorough, efficient fashion. As a result, you will probably have better oral hygiene after you straighten your teeth. These changes will reduce your chances of developing dental problems during the rest of your life.

Improve Your Speech

If you have an underbite, overbite, or other dental issues, you may have difficulty speaking clearly. For example, these dental issues could cause you to have a lisp. Fixing these problems will make it easier for you to speak in a clear, confident manner.

How Do Braces Straighten My Teeth?

When you receive this orthodontic treatment, we will attach ceramic or metal brackets to your teeth. We will also use a special type of wire to connect these brackets. These brackets and wires will put gentle pressure onto your crooked teeth. Over time, this pressure will carefully move each of your teeth into better positions within your mouth.

What Other Orthodontic Techniques Can I Use to Straighten My Teeth?

In addition to ceramic braces, you can use many other orthodontic techniques to fix misaligned teeth and other dental problems.

SmartClip Braces

This method uses a special type of self-ligating bracket. This unique design allows the wires that connect your brackets to be more flexible. As a result, SmartClip braces are more comfortable than many other orthodontic options. You’ll also have an easier time cleaning your teeth while you wear these special braces.

In addition to providing you with a comfortable experience, SmartClip braces are very efficient. As a result, you will probably have to spend less time receiving adjustments at our office.

Mini-Diamond

Mini-diamond braces are one of our most popular teeth-straightening treatments. These comfortable brackets are smaller and less visible than traditional metal braces. You also won’t have to spend a long time wearing these braces. Our mini-diamond braces usually take about the same amount of time to improve your teeth as traditional metal braces.

Invisalign

If you are an adult or teenager who is looking for a discreet way to correct misaligned or crowded teeth, you should think about using Invisalign to improve your smile. This innovative technology does not require you to wear any type of braces on your teeth. Instead, you will wear plastic overlay templates, commonly known as aligners, over your teeth.

We will use a computer program to make several different aligners that are designed to slowly reposition your teeth. Since these aligners are see-through, your co-workers, friends, and other people won’t realize that you are using Invisalign to improve your teeth unless they look very closely at your mouth.

Carriere Motion Appliance

This oral appliance is a great way to begin the process of improving your teeth. During your treatment, you will wear a customized Motion 3D Appliance for about three to four months. This appliance will slowly bring your teeth into better positions within your month.

This oral appliance can reduce the amount of time that you spend wearing braces or aligners. As a result, you’ll spend less time correcting your teeth and more time enjoying your beautiful new smile.

What Will My First Appointment Be Like?

When you have your first visit to our office in Fort Walton Beach, you should bring along any X-rays that you’ve received during previous dental or orthodontic appointments. After we look at these X-rays, we will thoroughly examine your teeth. We will use the information that we obtained during this examination to recommend suitable orthodontic treatments for you.

At this point, you should feel free to ask us questions about our treatment options. For example, we can discuss the anticipated costs of different treatments, how comfortable each treatment is, and other unique aspects of our different tooth-straightening options. Once you have chosen a treatment, we will schedule a time to begin the process of improving your teeth.

What Foods Should I Avoid When I Am Wearing My Braces?

It’s important to take good care of your braces and wires throughout the treatment process. If your brackets become damaged, you’ll have to visit our office in Fort Walton Beach so that we can fix this issue. These visits can be time-consuming and frustrating. Further, frequent visits can increase the amount of time that your treatment takes to straighten your teeth.

To avoid damaging your braces, you will need to make minor changes to your eating habits during your orthodontic treatment. For example, eating very hard foods like whole apples or hard candies can cause your brackets to break. Further, chewing gum will damage your braces and decrease the effectiveness of your treatment.

How Frequently Will I Need to Come to Your Office?

You’ll need to have regular follow-up appointments while you are using braces or other methods to improve your teeth. During these meetings, we will assess your teeth’s response to your orthodontic treatment. We can also repair broken brackets, tighten your braces, and make other adjustments to your orthodontic treatment.

If you are using traditional braces to improve your teeth, you should expect to visit our office about once every one to two months. If you are using Invisalign or self-ligating braces to enhance your smile, your appointments will probably be less frequent.

Do I Need to Visit the Dentist While I Am Wearing My Braces?

In addition to receiving regular check-ups at our office, it’s important to continue visiting the dentist while you are wearing your braces. Receiving regular dental treatments will help you maintain good oral hygiene throughout your treatment.

For example, your dentist will be able to perform dental cleanings during this time. Your dentist can also address any cavities or other issues that you experience while you are wearing your braces.

How Long Will I Have to Wear My Braces or Aligners?

The length of time that your orthodontic treatment takes to improve your teeth will depend on the type of technique that we are using, the severity of your orthodontic challenges, your age, and your ability to follow our instructions during your treatment. That said, you should usually expect to wear your braces or aligners for about one to three years.

If you would like to shorten the overall length of your treatment, you should follow all of our instructions during the orthodontic process. In particular, you should remember to thoroughly floss and brush your teeth every day. Further, if one of your brackets breaks, you should try to get this issue fixed as soon as possible.

How Can I Avoid Staining My Braces?

Drinking certain beverages can stain your ceramic brackets and bands. In particular, drinking coffee and tea can alter the appearance of your braces. This discoloration can make your braces look more noticeable.

Fortunately, you don’t have to stop drinking tea or coffee while you are wearing your braces. Instead, you can reduce the risks of staining your brackets by brushing your teeth and rinsing your mouth after you drink tea or coffee. Alternatively, you can use a straw when you drink these beverages.

Am I Too Old to Use Braces to Improve My Teeth?

Since younger people’s teeth can be more responsive to braces and other treatments, many people receive orthodontic treatments when they are in their teenage years. That said, a wide variety of people can use braces and Invisalign to improve their teeth.

In fact, these orthodontic techniques can improve your teeth if you are in your forties, fifties, or older. Receiving braces or other orthodontic treatments at a later stage in your life can be a good way to correct teeth issues that have been bothering you for a very long time.

Achieve a Beautiful Smile

If you don’t like the way that your teeth look when you smile, you should consider fixing this issue by using ceramic braces, Invisalign, or another orthodontic technique to improve your teeth. Since all of these orthodontic treatments are quick and effective, you will be able to select a tooth-straightening method that will work for you. To set up an initial consultation, contact us today at Bowman DMD in Fort Walton Beach, FL.