Are you still putting up with half-grinned photos of big moments, hiding your laugh with your hand, or spending too much time trying to floss tricky spots in your crooked smile? Stop. Our team at Mack Orthodontics has four reasons to get braces as an adult and get you thriving with your straightest smile!
You’re never too old to benefit from orthodontic treatment. Mack Orthodontics offers the latest orthodontic options to make your new smile fast and affordable, no matter your age or lifestyle. You are unique and deserve orthodontic care that reflects your individual needs. Dr. Mack and his experienced team believe that an informed patient will have more successful results, so your role in treatment is just as important as ours. Together, we will build your self-confidence and create positive life changes. Let’s look at some reasons to get braces as an adult.
Improved overall health
Braces are instrumental in correcting misaligned teeth and other dental issues that lead to further common health problems like headaches, jaw pain, digestion issues, and even sleep apnea.
Improper alignment of your teeth and jaw throughout an adult’s life can cause damage to the areas where the teeth meet during chewing and even make the process of chewing itself difficult. When your jaws or teeth do not meet adequately during chewing, you risk overexertion of the jaw muscles and complications like TMD or temporomandibular joint disorder. Not being able to chew correctly can result in food not being digested timely or adequately and lead to reflux, indigestion, and diminished nutrient absorption.
Braces also require extra cleaning and care, so your mouth will get better overall attention and maintenance. Having straight teeth can make this cleaning much less tricky as there will be less space for plaque and bacteria to build up, decreasing your chances of cavities, tooth decay, and even gum disease, and more room to floss with better access to your gum line.
Aesthetics and the confidence of a perfect smile
Your self-esteem depends significantly on your teeth, and a crooked smile or misaligned bite can leave you feeling less confident when all eyes are on you. You may notice you shy away from personal conversations or avoid having your photo taken only to give a less-than-thrilled, lips-only grin when you can’t escape. For some patients, the positioning of your teeth may even affect your speech by causing your tongue or lips not to attain the position necessary to make certain sounds.
Here at Mack Orthodontics, we believe that the essence of good oral health is creating confidence and pride for our patients in Hillsborough and Burlington, NC. Orthodontic treatment is more than just straightening teeth. When you trust your smile to our orthodontic expertise and high-tech offices, you’ll get increased confidence and an improved self-image – not to mention a beautiful smile!
Variety of treatment options
Dental technology is always getting better. You can get the latest orthodontic treatment from Mack Orthodontics. Depending on the severity of your adjustments needed, your options may include conventional metal braces, clear braces, lingual braces, or Invisalign clear aligners. Sometimes, a combination of treatment options can improve the efficacy and time necessary for adjustments.
Conventional Metal Braces
Metal or traditional braces have been around for many decades and are the original powerhouses of orthodontic treatment. Thanks to technological advancements in orthodontics, today’s metal braces are smaller, lighter, and much more effective at significant adjustment needs than their bulky predecessors.
Traditional metal braces work by attaching a metal bracket to the front sides of your teeth and securing those brackets together with an archwire. This archwire is held on by elastic ties that come in various colors for ultimate personalization. Every 4-8 weeks, your orthodontist adjusts the archwire to create slight but precise tooth movement for the desired outcome.
Clear Braces
Clear braces are an up-and-coming option similar to conventional metal braces. This ingenious option works just like metal braces, except this method swaps the metal brackets for clear or tooth-colored polycrystalline ceramic brackets, making them virtually undetectable. Many teen patients have even found that bright-colored elastic ties can create an almost neon effect that pops!
Metal braces are known for their durability and strength. Ceramic braces are also tough, but they are made from a different, more fragile material that is more likely to chip or crack. Traditional braces are also better at tolerating pressure than newer ceramic ones.
Lingual Braces
Lingual braces provide one of the most customized treatments. However, they are still one of the least common treatment options available because of the special training the orthodontist must acquire to utilize them. This unique option places the metal brackets similar to traditional ones on the tooth’s backside or lingual side. Putting the appliances on the backs of the teeth makes your treatment completely invisible. It is more efficient and versatile than the conventional front-side application, making some exceptional cases easier to treat or reducing the time you need to wear your braces. Lingual braces work like traditional braces do by applying gentle pressure to your teeth, so no matter where you start, they’ll end up beautifully and inconspicuously straight.
While lingual braces provide advantages that no other type of braces offer, some obstacles can occur with this treatment option. Because they are placed on the tongue-side of the teeth, some patients experience slight changes to their speech and irritation to their tongue. These symptoms usually present shortly after the braces are applied and go away within a couple of weeks as your mouth becomes accustomed to your new appliances.
Invisalign
Clear aligners like Invisalign have gained popularity in the last decade as technology has made them more inconspicuous, efficient, and budget-friendly. Similar to the post-braces retainer trays they evolved from, Invisalign clear aligners fit comfortably over your teeth and make minor adjustments over time for patients needing simple corrections as well as for patients who have mild to moderate dental problems like misaligned teeth, large overbite, no jaw alignment problems, or those who have gaps in their front teeth- an open bite. With this anonymous treatment option, your smile is the only thing they’ll see.
Invisalign for Teens
Here at Mack Orthodontics, we also offer Invisalign for Teens. This adolescent aligner option places an inconspicuous dot on the back of the aligners to help keep your teen accountable for their time wearing them. It also provides extra space for molars that have yet to erupt.
Self-Ligating Braces
Another option for braces not offered at Mack Orthodontics is self-ligating braces. This technique uses metal brackets and wire similar to traditional metal braces, but instead of elastic bands, it uses brackets with unique doors and clips that secure the wire. This design allows the brackets to move along the wire more freely and can cause less irritation and discomfort commonly associated with elastic adjustments.
Cost-Efficient- Now and Later
It’s no secret that oral health is strongly connected to overall health, and there’s never been a better time to consider orthodontic treatment. Combined with proper dental hygiene, braces can decrease your chances of cavities, gum disease, costly procedures like tooth extractions or specialists that treat symptoms, not culprits, and the chance of prosthetics in the future. Specific orthodontic issues like misaligned bites can wear down your teeth and lead to chipping, cracking, and even total loss, which will cost you much more in the end.
Mack Orthodontics has improved our Burlington and Hillsborough patients’ self-confidence, appearance, and health by being committed to making orthodontics affordable for you and your family. We emphasize exceptional service, offer flexible payment options, and file your insurance forms to ensure you get maximum benefits before creating a plan that works best for your budget.
Let Mack Orthodontics bring out your Smile!
All treatments have their lists of pros and cons, and we know you have a unique set of needs with your unique smile, no matter your age. Whether you want to keep this journey more inconspicuous, prioritize comfort over aesthetics, or simply enjoy the option that gets you to your perfect smile fastest, our goal at Mack Orthodontics is your complete satisfaction.
Our warm and fun offices feature advanced technology to make choosing your orthodontic treatment options a little less daunting. If you still have questions about getting braces as an adult, our happy and well-trained orthodontic team would love to meet you for your FREE consultation to get you started on your journey to a confident smile. We care about you like you’re our own family, and we promise to give you the best quality care in a comfortable, fun setting.