Which Teeth Straightening Treatment Is Right for You?

It’s suggested that 90% of people have misaligned teeth. This could mean your teeth are crowded and crooked, or you may have a gappy smile. Despite how common crooked teeth are, it’s easy to feel unhappy about their appearance.

But along with the aesthetics, crooked teeth can cause health issues. If your teeth aren’t straight, they’re harder to clean. As a result, bacteria can build up in the hard-to-reach parts of your smile, leading to tooth decay, gum disease, and dental infections. Additionally, a misaligned bite can cause pain in your jaw, face, neck, and head. 

Orthodontic treatments can fix these problems, reducing potential health risks and improving your smile. While braces used to be the best way to straighten teeth, there are now many different treatment options. So, which teeth straightening treatment is right for you?

In this guide, we’ll discuss the factors you must consider when choosing your teeth straightening treatment and compare the benefits of two popular options; Invisalign and Six Month Smiles. 

What Causes Crooked Teeth?

Crooked teeth are often the result of genetic factors. Sometimes, your jaw and teeth develop out of proportion to each other. When this happens, your teeth are crooked. On the other hand, if your jaw is large compared to your teeth, you can develop a gappy smile. 

Other factors contributing to alignment issues include sucking your thumb as a child, physical trauma, disease, and tooth decay. 

How Does Teeth Straightening Work?

Teeth straightening uses gentle force to pull or push your teeth to a desired position. This is a gradual process, and treatments can take anything from several months to around two years. 

Braces use brackets and wires to create tension on your teeth. Each tooth has a bracket fixed to it. Then, a wire is passed through the brackets. Aligners are similar; however, instead of brackets and wire, the necessary pressure comes from custom-made trays. 

During treatment, the force needs to change. For braces, this means tightening the wire periodically. With aligners, this means switching to a slightly different tray every two weeks. 

What Is Six Month Smiles?

As the name suggests, Six Month Smiles can give you straighter teeth in a short space of time. While many other treatments can take up to two years, these fixed braces often deliver great results in roughly six months. 

Instead of wearing brackets and wires across the entire row of teeth, Six Month Smiles focuses on your most prominent teeth. Treatment length is dramatically reduced by only moving the teeth seen when smiling. 

Six Month Smiles is highly effective for mild cosmetic orthodontic adjustments. At various stages throughout your treatment, we’ll adjust the tension along the wire.

The Benefits of Six Month Smiles

Six Month Smiles is a popular choice for the speed of the treatment. If you’ve got a major life event like your wedding on the horizon, Six Month Smiles helps perfect your smile quickly. 

Although Six Month Smiles is a fixed brace option, it uses discreet brackets and wires. Because we use clear and tooth-coloured elements, your brace will blend in with your natural teeth. 

With fewer brackets and a shorter wire, fittings and adjustments are also easier than traditional braces. 

Who Is Six Month Smiles Suitable For?

We can use Six Month Smiles to correct mild crowding, gaps, and crooked teeth at the front of your smile. 

Before your treatment can begin, we’ll assess your teeth and jaws to make sure this is the right option for you. 

What Is Invisalign?

Invisalign is the world’s most popular removable clear aligner system. Made from a patented medical-grade plastic called SmartTrack, your Invisalign aligner hides in plain sight and is barely visible to anyone else. 

You can take your aligner out when you’re eating or drinking. This makes it easier to enjoy your favourite meals. Also, being removable makes keeping your teeth and the aligner clean easier. 

Invisalign Benefits

Many people choose Invisalign because the aligners are clear. Fitting perfectly into your smile, Invisalign aligners are barely visible to anyone else. 

Because the aligner is made to measure, it’s also comfortable. After a short period of wear, you’ll barely notice it’s in your mouth making it easy to go about your day and sleep while it’s in. 

Being removable makes Invisalign very convenient. While it’s recommended that you wear your aligner as much as possible, you can take it out at mealtimes and while you brush your teeth. 

As a Diamond Apex Invisalign Provider, we’re in the top one percent of dentists in the UK offering this treatment. 

Who Is Invisalign Suitable For?

Invisalign can treat a wide range of orthodontic problems, including:

• Spacing out overcrowded smiles
• Straightening crooked teeth
• Closing gaps in your smile
• Addressing bite alignment issues like crossbite, overbite, underbite, and more

Treatment lengths vary depending on the extent of the adjustment needed. Some orthodontic issues can be fixed in as few as six months, while complex cases can take 18 months or more. 

Before your treatment, we’ll perform a full assessment of your smile. We’ll use the latest digital technology to take scans of your smile. Using powerful software, we can then create a roadmap for your treatment and even show you how your new smile will look after Invisalign has worked its magic. 

Which Teeth Straightening Treatment Is Right for You?

Each treatment has its own benefits. Six Month Smiles is a quick, subtle treatment, while Invisalign is more convenient and versatile. 

Ultimately, the complexity of your case is a major influencing factor. Both treatments are useful for cosmetic adjustments; however, Invisalign can help with a wider range of situations. 

Teeth Straightening at Love Teeth

Teeth straightening helps create a smile you’ll love while making it easier to fight bacteria buildups and maintain good oral health. At Love Teeth, we offer two excellent orthodontic treatments; Invisalign and Six Month Smiles. 

With Love Teeth clinics throughout Surrey, we make it easier to get the smile you’ve always wanted. 

Call us today to schedule your consultation.