When you look in the mirror, how do you see your smile? Do you have a gorgeous smile full of straight teeth, or does it look less than beautiful, with twisted, misaligned teeth? If you answered the latter, you have plenty of company. Many of us suffer from misaligned, crooked smiles. Even those who spent a portion of their teenage years in braces sometimes find their teeth out of alignment again after 20 or 30 years. So, what can we do to straighten our teeth and make our smile beautiful? Dr. Nikki Green offers three ways to obtain a straight, dazzling smile.
If you have misaligned teeth that keep you from smiling, call our Fort Worth dental office today at (817) 737-6601 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Green.
The Old Method
In the past, the only method available for straightening teeth meant a mouth full of metal. Traditional bracket and wire braces caused misery, from the monthly appointments to tighten the wires, to the cuts on the inside of the mouth. They resulted in many restrictions regarding what patients could or could not eat. And worst of all, the treatment lasted a minimum of two years, with some poor souls wearing them as long as four years. Thankfully, those days have gone. Modern technology has provided us with new methods of straightening our smiles.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers can be a quick fix option for patients who experience mild to moderate misalignment. Veneers improve the size and shape of teeth and fill in gaps to make your smile appear straighter. Made from porcelain, veneers are shells that Dr. Green bonds to the front of your teeth. The process starts with the removal of a very thin layer of enamel from the teeth to make room for the veneer. The doctor will then take impressions of your mouth, which she will send to a dental lab. The lab technicians will create your custom-fit veneers, and when they arrive in our office, you will return to have the shells bonded to your teeth.
If you have misaligned teeth that keep you from smiling, call our Fort Worth dental office today at (817) 737-6601 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Green.
Bracket and Wire Braces
Yes, we still recommend traditional braces, especially for younger patients and those with extremely crooked teeth. Traditional braces have gone through many changes in the last couple of decades. The formerly ugly metal brackets come in a much smaller size, for one thing. They come in various colors for adolescents, and we can even order clear brackets for adults who wish to maintain a professional appearance while in braces. Traditional braces use far fewer rubber bands than in the past, limiting the number of cuts on the inside of your mouth. Best of all, the treatment can be completed in as little as 12 months.
Invisalign
Invisalign has revolutionized the way people straighten their teeth, replacing brackets and wires with removable plastic aligners that gently move teeth into alignment. You can remove the aligners for eating and cleaning your teeth, and you will not have any wires or bands to contend with. The treatment time can last as little as 12 months, and since the aligners are clear, nobody will even know you wear them.
The process begins with a series of digital images of your mouth, which the doctor feeds into the Invisalign software. The system creates a custom treatment plan, detailing how many sets of aligners you will wear and how long the treatment will last. Dr. Green will send the plan to an Invisalign lab, where lab technicians will create all of your aligners and send them back to our office. Once you receive your first set of aligners, you will only need to visit every six weeks for a quick checkup and your next few sets of aligners. Most patients wear 20 to 30 sets of aligners over 12 to 18 months. You will wear your aligners for 20 to 22 hours every day to stay in compliance with your treatment plan.
Invisalign even has a special program for teens. The aligners have blue dots on them that fade as your child wears them, so you can tell if he is in compliance with his treatment plan. The teen system also comes with a bonus of six extra aligners, in case your teen misplaces one.
Call Us for a Consultation
If you suffer from a misaligned smile, make the call that will start you on the road to a gorgeous grin. Call our Fort Worth dental office today at [phonelink] to schedule a consultation with Dr. Green.
