What are Six Month Smiles? : Orthodontic Treatment
What are Six Month Smiles?
Choosing a brace can sometimes be an overwhelming or confusing process, which is why your dentist’s opinion should obviously play a big part in your decision; however, it could help to do some research of your own beforehand, so that you know exactly what your options are before you decide what kind of orthodontic work you would like to get. Let’s take a look at Six Month Smiles to see if this sort of brace would be suitable for you; Find more information on this website
This is a type of orthodontic system that is often referred to as ‘clear braces’ because of the components that are used to create the appliance; Six Month Smiles are made from brackets and wires, much like traditional fixed braces, but instead of using metal brackets, the appliance is made up of transparent resin brackets that allow the enamel shade to show through from the other side. Clear brackets might not make the brace as invisible as removable aligners might be but this is as close as you are going to get with a fixed appliance. This kind of brace is designed to be much more discreet than traditional ‘train tracks’ and this makes Six Month Smiles a great alternative for people who don’t want to wear a noticeable appliance. Some people are put off orthodontic treatment because the braces will be obvious when their teeth are showing; a clear fixed brace can open up a world of dentistry to people who have not previously considered it an option. Although they are not 100% invisible, they are much more discreet than normal train tracks and blend in better with the surface of the tooth.
Six Month Smiles are relatively new to the orthodontic market so they might not be as widely available but as more and more people request them it is likely that they will be on offer at a greater number of clinics, which means that you should not have too much trouble finding a provider who can offer you this kind of brace system. If you would like to benefit from Six Month Smiles specifically, you should first contact prospective clinics either by phone or online to see what sort of braces they can provide.
How are the braces fitted?
Because they are very similar to normal fixed braces, Six Month Smiles are fitted in much the same way as traditional train tracks, each bracket is fixed to a misaligned tooth and then joined together with a wire that is threaded through each one; the wire is secured to the brace with elastic bands that are blended to the tooth enamel so that the appliance is more discreet than metal braces. This is not a very long process but it will obviously take slightly longer if the teeth are more crooked and more brackets have to be applied. As soon as the wire is fixed in place, the brace will start to put pressure onto the teeth to move them into alignment; this is inevitable with any sort of brace and the pain should subside after a couple of days, as the periodontal fibers get used to the change in pressure.
How long does treatment take?
The treatment time with fixed braces can vary greatly from patient to patient; it could be a few months or it may even be several years, depending on the initial position of the teeth. With Six Month Smiles, as the name suggests, the aim is to complete the treatment within a period of six months, although this may not be possible with every patient and you should be aware that it can take longer if your teeth are very crooked.
It is also worth mentioning that it takes more time to move adult teeth than it usually does to shift adolescent teeth; this is because younger teeth are not as firm in the socket so they can move more easily. This is obviously not a concrete rule for every patient but it is something to remember if you are not a teenager; this should not put you off getting orthodontic treatment but you should remember that it can take a little bit longer with adult teeth. For this reason, most dentists will try to arrange orthodontic treatment when their patients are still in their teenage years; although these days there is a larger number of older people who want to get braces and they can still benefit greatly from all kinds of orthodontic systems.
Will Six Month Smiles be suitable for me?
If you would like to get braces but the thought of wearing a noticeable appliance for the duration of your treatment puts you off, you might be interested in a clear fixed appliance as an alternative. If your teeth are too badly crooked for removable aligners then it is likely that a fixed brace will be your only option, which means that it’s probable that a Six Month Smiles appliance would be suitable for you rather than a metal wire and bracket design. In order to check that your teeth are in good condition and that braces are not going to damage them further, the dentist will carry out a series of x-rays to find out what sort of state the roots are in beneath the tissue. If you have had orthodontic treatment before it is possible that the roots will have retracted and this may make it unsafe to apply more braces as it could damage the teeth irreparably. Your dentist needs to be sure that another course of treatment will not do more harm than good; a small amount of root retraction should not prevent you from getting braces but if there has been noticeable shortening the dentist will have to estimate the risk to dental health.
If you are interested in this sort of brace and you would like to find out whether it would be available to you, contact the Pearl Dental Clinic; this is a surgery in the Kingston area of London that can provide all types of orthodontic appliance to improve your teeth and make them healthier too. Get in touch with the reception team now to find out more about the systems that are on offer.
