According to the British Orthodontic Society, only 25% of adults have naturally straight teeth, this means that three-quarters of all adults would benefit from having their teeth straightened to some degree. For many of us, the appearance of our teeth is enough to make us self-conscious and find that even family photographs can be a source of embarrassment, something that we avoid wherever possible. The problem is that for many of us, the image of braces that we are familiar with is of the rather ugly and obtrusive train-track style worn by many teenagers.

Times have changed and technology has brought a number of exciting improvements to the world of braces. Orpington Dental Care offers a range of products for patients of all ages, and demand is continuing to increase as more people can see the benefits of having straighter teeth. One of the greatest improvements to the fixed-wire type of brace is that modern fixed braces are now considerably smaller and less obtrusive than they were. In addition there are now tooth-coloured brackets and wires, as well as removable clear aligners of different types suited to every orthodontic need.

Braces for grown-ups

In many cases, your orthodontic needs as an adult are quite different from those of your children. When children have braces, the dentist will usually work on all of the teeth to correct their alignment. For many adults, it is often only necessary to straighten your front teeth. There are two advantages when you only have your front teeth straightened: firstly the procedure is much quicker, in some cases it can take as little as six months. In fact one of the treatments is called Six Month Smiles. The second advantage is that these types of adult braces are very discreet and very few people will notice that you are wearing them.

If you had orthodontic treatment when you were younger, you may have experienced some relapse in the position of your teeth unless you have had a permanent retainer fitted. In this case we can use an Inman aligner to re-adjust your front teeth before fitting a permanent retainer. If you’re thinking about braces in Orpington come and find out what we can do for you here at Orpington Dental Care.