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While our highly trained staff of Houston cosmetic dentists does not claim the official title of orthodontics, we find ourselves nevertheless providing more and more orthodontic solutions to clients from all over Houston. There are a number of reasons why so many people are now turning to us first to correct malocclusion in their upper and lower jaws.
The biggest motivator appears to be a strong desire on the part of these patients to keep their corrective care confidential. No one wants to smile with a mouth full of metal. People who do wear traditional braces do so with a sense of resignation—putting up with the pain and embarrassment of the devices and grimacing with embarrassment within themselves when they feel forced to smile. Standard metal braces normally have to be worn a minimum of two years, are very expensive, and cause a great deal of pain on occasions when they are tightened.
Thanks to new technology, though, our cosmetic dentists can now offer some truly viable—if not superior—alternatives to traditional orthodontic treatment. We want to qualify this statement by making it clear we by no means feel that metal braces are completely obsolete or non-viable options. On the contrary, we still refer our most severe cases of tooth malocclusion to practicing orthodontists that we partner with. These extreme cases can only be corrected by drastic measures, and we recommend someone who specializes only in metal braces handle these cases.
However, a very large percentage of the patients that our cosmetic dentists see do not have problems this severe. They may only have a problem with crowded teeth that resulted from too little room in their mouth when their teeth first grew in. Or, equally common, we encounter a patient who suffered an accident and loosened or lost one or more teeth in the process. The surrounding teeth then began to shift toward the gap and created a noticeable irregularity in the person’s smile.
For mild to moderate cases like this, our cosmetic dentists will normally recommend our new Six Month Smile cosmetic dental braces. These amazing braces are designed much like their metal counterparts-- with two important differences. For one thing, the brackets are clear and the wires are the color of teeth—thus making the braces nearly invisible when the patient smiles. Secondly, the brackets and wires are much smaller and allow for more thorough tooth brushing and flossing.
True to their name, these cosmetic braces get the job done in only six months.
More noticeable problems with malocclusion, however, will need stronger corrective measures. Our cosmetic dentists, upon discovering severe bite problems, recommend that the patient spend the necessary funds to get the best possible cosmetic orthodontic solution. This solution does not lie in the form of braces, but rather a retainer-like mouthpiece called an Invisalign aligner.
The Invisalign aligner is custom-made to molds of the patient’s teeth and pre-adjusted to put just the right amount of pressure on teeth that are out of alignment. Bit by bit, each new set of aligners moves teeth back where they belong. A computer is used to pre-set the adjustment factor in each set of aligners, and the entire procedure normally takes about a year-and-a-half for the average patient.Before you just let your teeth go, or resolve yourself to the pain and embarassment of metal braces, talk to one of our cosmetic dentists first to see if you need a short-term solution, an Invisalign solution, or a referral to an orthondontist for an exceptionally severe alignment problem.Labels: cosmetic braces, cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic dentists Houston, cosmetic orthodontics
 The term malocclusion literally means bad bite. It occurs when teeth do not properly fit together. It can be caused by many different things. The most common cause is genetic. Some people are born with naturally straight teeth because of genetic factors passed down from their parents. Others, however, inherit crooked teeth because the sizes of the teeth are too large for the available room in the jaw, and they grow in crooked.
Teeth malocclusion can also be caused by other factors. An accident can knock teeth out of alignment. A gum disease that misshapes the gumline can also cause teeth to loosen and grow back in crooked. If a tooth gets knocked out, the surrounding teeth will start to shift into the open space. Children who suck on thumbs or pencils can put pressure on their teeth and cause them to shift.
In addition to their being many causes of teeth malocclusion, there are also many types of the condition. If an upper or lower jaw extends too far out, there may not be enough space for the teeth to grow in without crowding one another and becoming crooked. Or, there simply may just not be enough space in the mouth for teeth to develop properly, which in turn will cause them to crowd. The flipside of this problem is having too much space between teeth. This creates a situation similar to a missing tooth, where teeth start to shift in position and grow toward the gap or empty space. In some cases the problem is even more severe. The lower jaw extends farther out than the upper jaw, and some of the upper teeth actually bit inside the lower teeth.
If teeth malocclusion is not dealt with professionally, it can affect the eating habits of a person and the appearance of a person when they smile. Over time, problems with tooth alignment can lead to tooth decay and jaw-joint problems. Headaches have been known to result due to the difficulty these patients have opening and closing their mouths. Embarrassing clicking and popping sounds also can result, and jaw muscles can become sore and painful.
Orthodontics is the branch of dental science that is dedicated to correcting teeth malocclusion. For many years, the only orthodontic treatments available involved metal braces and wires that took an average of two years to correct alignment problems, were embarrassing to smile with, and often caused a great deal of discomfort when they were adjusted. Dental hygiene was also a challenge due to the bulky size of brackets.
Today, however, new clear braces and removable aligners have made it possible to correct teeth malocclusion in shorter periods of time without pain, and without anyone noticing that the patient is undergoing corrective treatment. The superior materials that orthodontic tools are now made from, plus their smaller sizes, make these new braces and mouthpieces practically invisible to the eyes of other people.
Some of these invisible braces are designed to get the job done in only 6 months. Others take almost as long as standard braces, but allow for much greater comfort, discretion, and dental hygiene. Labels: clean teeth, cosmetic orthodontics, invisalign aligners, invisible braces, teeth malocclusion
If you keep procrastinating about corrective dental treatment, your teeth are going to stay crooked. We know you are afraid that it will hurt to have metal in your mouth. We also know you will be embarrassed to smile.
That is why we want to fix your problem with cosmetic orthodontics.
Cosmetic orthodontics do away with the pain and obtrusive presence of metal brackets and wires. They use better materials that do not hurt your mouth, and that cannot easily be seen—if they are seen by anyone at all.
You can also count on spending less money on these treatments than you would on standard, banded orthodontics. In less time, for less money, you can have an award winning smile for the first time in years.
This is true because the materials used to make these braces are either clear or tooth colored. Some use clear brackets and tooth colored wires, while others use clear mouthpieces that fit over your teeth.
Take, for instance, the Six Month Smiles® program. This new brand of cosmetic orthodontics is ideal for correcting minor to moderate cases of crowded teeth that are out of alignment. They are affordable, low-profile, and comfortable. Because of their highly efficient design, it is also very easy to brush and floss your teeth while wearing Six Month Smiles®.
Another kind of cosmetic orthodontics called Invisalign does not use brackets or wires at all. Invisalign cosmetic aligners are mouthpieces that are special made to custom fit your upper and lower dental arches. Molds are taken of your teeth and used to make 3D models, which a computer then scans for alignment problems. The computer then incrementally maps out a 9-15 step program. For each step of the program, a set of aligners is made to correct the teeth as needed according to that stage of treatment.
This is the most advanced form of cosmetic orthodontics to date, because these aligners are not only made custom to your teeth, but also to the very process of correction itself. Each set of aligners is worn for approximately 2 weeks for about 22 hours per day. They are removable, so you can take them out while you are eating and brushing your teeth. They should be worn during your sleep though, and will not irritate your mouth or keep you awake because they are made from very soft, medical grade plastic with rounded edges.
These aligners are clear, so it is doubtful anyone will ever see them in your mouth. They are so snug you can speak clearly without sounding like you are wearing something over your teeth. Invisalign aligners are expensive than other forms of cosmetic orthodontics, but if you have a more severe case of maladjustment, a bad bite problem, or noticeably crooked teeth, they are the best route to go.
Labels: braces, clear braces, corrective dental treatment options, cosmetic dental braces, cosmetic orthodontics, invisible braces
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