“Invisible” braces: How today’s orthodontics blend in with the smile for a better treatment experience
If your perception of orthodontic treatment is limited to dark-colored metal braces, it is time to acquaint yourself with today’s ways to attractively, comfortably, and precisely correct misalignment and bite imbalances. As a practice specializing in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, SHN Orthodontics features a diverse range of options to straighten your teeth and restore and sustain an appealing and healthy smile. Led by third-generation orthodontist, Dr. Shannon Hilgers Nissen, our specialty office in Mission Viejo, California, has both the expertise and onsite technologies to support these many therapeutic options. These options include clear braces.
The beauty of clear braces
Traditionally, braces have been associated with metal brackets and wires that are attached to the teeth. Due to the metal, these braces tended to have a silver or gray hue in the smile. So, they stood in stark contrast to the surrounding teeth and the rest of the smile. Today, brackets can be made with various materials, including advanced plastics and ceramics, such as porcelain. Such materials may be particularly attractive to teens and adults alike because they are discreet. The plastic is clear or transparent. So, others can see your teeth peeking through and not orthodontic “hardware.”
Another discreet option, ceramics, involves using brackets that can be color-matched to blend with the rest of the tooth for a natural and seamless look.
Beyond aesthetics
Advanced materials and modern technologies also promote a more comfortable and overall enhanced treatment experience. Today’s braces are generally more compact, sleek, lighter weight, and have a higher degree of durability – less vulnerable to breakage! You do not have to worry about making “trade-offs,” sacrificing the effectiveness and efficiency of treatment for a more discreet look with “invisible” braces. All of these treatments are still based on the same foundational principles: constant yet gentle force is placed on the teeth by this “system” of brackets, wires, and special bands or rings.
Also, Dr. Nissen is happy to discuss yet another way to straighten teeth on the down low without the use of those special bands or elastics. This option, self-ligating braces, are designed with specialized mechanisms to hold the wire/archwire in place, eliminating the need for elastics. The brackets in these braces, too, can be made with transparent plastics or tooth-colored ceramics.
A world of options awaits at SHN Orthodontics to reveal your best smile! Schedule an assessment with Dr. Nissen at our office in Mission Viejo, CA, today. A member of our trusted specialty team can be reached at (949) 830-4101.
Getting Braces: What It Feels Like, What They Look Like & What to Expect
Hi, my name is Dr. Shannon Hilgers Nissen, and I’m an orthodontist in Mission Viejo, California. Today, I’m going to take some time to answer some of the most common questions that I get from some of my younger patients. Does getting braces on hurt? Nothing we do in the office that day is going to hurt. You might feel some pressure, sometimes some tightness, and if you’re getting any new braces on or new plans, in the evening that night, maybe around dinner time, you might feel a little tender and not want to eat anything too sticky, chewy, or hard. We oftentimes tell you for the first couple of days to stick to smoothies, mac and cheese, rice. Ice cream is good, too. And after a couple of days, the soreness goes away. We tell you to take an Advil or Motrin, and that helps, especially with sleeping at night. Actual act of getting braces on does not hurt. We sort of put them on like stickers. But in order to put the braces on so they stick well, we have to make sure the teeth are really clean, and the glue that we use sometimes tastes a little sour. Some patients like it, some patients don’t like it, some patients are just sort of neutral on it. A lot of my patients, the younger ones, tend to like sour flavors, so they don’t mind it a whole lot. Another one of my favorite questions to answer in our office is: What do the braces look like? In our office, we use both metal or clear braces. My patients tend to care a lot about colors, so we have all sorts of colors that the braces can come in. Oftentimes, people come in with their favorite color combination. But I also explain that you don’t have to have colors. You can just leave your braces metal and just put silver around them, or you can do our clear braces, which look something like this. They’re really pretty. A lot of adults like them, and you don’t really see them when you smile too much. And finally, one of the most common questions I get asked in our office is: How often are you going to come in to see me? Most patients, depending on the type of braces we choose, will come in every eight to ten weeks to have their braces adjusted. Essentially, that just means that we take out the old wire and place a new one that’s a little bit stronger to keep you moving along. If you’re an Invisaligner Spark patient, meaning you have clear aligners, we oftentimes see you every eight or nine weeks to check on your progress and give you your new set of aligners.
