When you are a teen, you know that your crooked teeth are bound to end up being fixed with braces. It seems like one the inevitabilities of growing up. But what are you supposed to do as an adult who wants to straighten your smile? Are you supposed to get a mouth full of metal brackets and wires, even if your situation isn’t that serious? Are you supposed to spend the next two to three years getting the metal contraption in your mouth adjusted each month to get your teeth where they are supposed to be? There may be a better way.

Adult Orthodontic Options

At any of Orthodontic Alliances’ locations, you will be able to find the adult orthodontic solution to fit your needs. Here are a couple of the options we have available to help you fix your smile, and fix it fast.

Fast Acting Adult Braces – Traditional braces treat all of the teeth in your mouth and will adjust their positions to bring them into correct alignment. As a kid, when you still have a developing dental structure, this is an important part of the treatment. As an adult, your dental structure is pretty much set. At this point, you are looking for the cosmetic benefits of straighter teeth, and perhaps not so much an improved alignment of your bite. With Fast Acting Adult Braces, your treatment is going to focus on the cosmetic side of your smile. This treatment focuses on the front teeth only. These teeth are called “the social six” as they are the ones that are out in front for everyone to see. By focusing on these teeth and leaving the rest of your dental structure intact, we are able to give you a straighter, more pleasing smile in as little as 6 months.

Your treatment will include clear ceramic braces that have a “space age” wire attached to apply the straightening forces your smile needs. That means no obvious metal on your teeth – just discreet ceramics and wire.

Once your treatment is finished, you will have a clear retainer bonded to the back of your teeth. This will keep them from shifting back into their former misalignment and will keep your new smile intact for the foreseeable future.

Invisalign – Does your smile suffer from crooked teeth? Would you like to fix it but don’t want to deal with unsightly metal brackets and wires on your teeth? If you answered yes, then Invisalign is the choice for you. Unlike Fast Acting Adult Braces, Invisalign aligners will properly align your whole arch of teeth, and they will do it discreetly. Invisalign aligners are made out of a clear plastic that leaves them practically invisible to the people around you. No need to explain to your coworkers why you are just now getting around to fixing your smile. They probably won’t even know you’re doing it.

The Invisalign method is fast and convenient as well. You need to wear each set of aligners for about 22 hours per day, and every two weeks, you will move to the next aligner in the series. You take your aligners out each day to brush your teeth and to eat meals. You will go in to have your progress checked on by Dr. Schmidt every six weeks. Follow the guidelines, and you could have your new smile in as little as 12 months. Just in case you forgot, that is less than half the time it would take traditional braces to do the same job. Your new smile is closer than you think with Invisalign.

Benefits of Adult Orthodontic Treatment

Adult orthodontic options offer speed of treatment as one of the primary benefits. Here are a few others to consider when you are choosing the treatment that is right for you.

Appearance – Both Fast Acting Adult Braces and Invisalign will improve the appearance of your smile. FAAB will discreetly adjust the teeth that are primarily responsible for the look of your smile, and they take only 6-10 months to give you your new smile. Invisalign takes a few months longer but is invisible while you are using it. It treats your entire mouth.

Bite Alignment – FAAB may be able to help with the alignment of your front teeth and will improve how those teeth fit together after you complete your treatment. Invisalign is going to correctly align all of your teeth, which will be of obvious benefit to the way your bite fits together.

Gum Health – Correctly aligned teeth minimize hiding spaces for plaque, tartar, and the bacteria they create. You will clear more of these gum-disease-causing agents away with your toothbrush if you are brushing a straight set of evenly spaced teeth.

Call us today at 219-809-6584 to schedule your appointment.