Are You An Adult And Have Crooked Teeth? Braces Options To Get Them Straight

If you have crooked teeth, you likely feel self-conscious about your smile. You may have had braces when you were a child but didn't care for them after, such as by wearing your retainer. This would cause your teeth to go back to their original position and be crooked again. You may have never worn braces at all.  No matter which you can have braces put on your teeth by an orthodontist. Below are some different types of braces to help you choose what would work best for you.

Metal Braces

There are the standard metal braces that you will wear for a certain number of years. You will have to have the brackets tightened throughout the process to ensure they continue to straighten your teeth.  How long you wear the braces will depend on how crooked your teeth are. It does not take long to get used to them and you will soon not even notice they are there. You do, however, have to use a special tool to remove food that may get stuck in the brackets.  If you prefer, you can choose colored metal braces if you want them to stand out.

Clear Braces

If you do not want to have metal braces, ask your orthodontist if clear braces would work well for you. These braces are a series of clear orthodontic aligners that you are able to remove, such as while you are eating. Each aligner is custom made to fit your mouth and you have to have them switched out approximately every couple of weeks. It does take longer to straighten your teeth but they are not visible.

Clear Ceramic Braces

Another type of braces that is hard to see are clear ceramic braces. These braces have ligatures that are specifically made to be the color of your teeth, but the brackets are silver. You do have to be careful with these braces, however, because the ligatures may stain if you drink something like black coffee. You do have to have the ligatures changed out frequently so that, if you do stain them, you will not have to put up with the stain for long.

When your braces are removed, your teeth may be stained. If so, your dentist can whiten your teeth for you so you will have beautiful straight, white teeth.  If you have questions about any of this, your orthodontist can go over these braces with you in much more detail.