The Non-Traditional Route To Straighter Teeth

You are a working professional. Your career has been going fairly well, but you think it could be better.

You are starting to wonder if your teeth could be holding you back. You aren’t alone.

In 2012, Kelton Research surveyed more than 1,000 Americans. More than half (58 percent) said they consider people with straight teeth to be more successful and wealthier than people with crooked teeth.

Likewise, 73 percent said they are more likely to trust someone with straight teeth.

As an adult, you may not want to wear traditional braces for the two years (or more) it could take to straighten your smile.

Thankfully, you don’t have to. You can get a straight smile at Total Dental Care of South Carolina with Invisalign, ClearCorrect, or Six-Month Smiles. Just call or stop by our dentist office in Columbia, SC to learn more.

Pros And Cons Of Braces

Let’s start with the obvious: Braces work.

Braces have been used for decades, and they continue to be used because they are a tried and true way to straighten teeth.

If anything has changed, it’s that the materials used in today’s braces are more advanced than the ones that were being used when you were a teenager.

On the other hand, they are still braces.

As an adult with a job, you may not feel comfortable walking around with all that metal on your mouth for the two years it can take for braces to work.

You might be willing to try orthodontic treatment if you could wear your braces for less time or if your appliance was less obvious.

Six Month Smiles

Six Month Smiles is similar to traditional braces, but with a different focus.

When you wear traditional braces, you may have metal brackets attached to your teeth. This is so your braces can push and pull your teeth into a perfectly straight position.

Six Month Smiles uses ceramic braces, which more closely match the color of your teeth, and tooth-colored wires.

Six Month Smiles is designed for the cosmetic improvement of your smile. The technology in this system allows people with mild to moderate alignment issues to fix them in a quarter of the time they would need to wear metal braces.

You will still have brackets and wires, but they will be less noticeable. And you won’t have to wear them nearly as long.

Invisalign and ClearCorrect

These systems take a similar approach to straightening teeth. Instead of brackets and wires, you wear a series of clear, plastic aligners instead.

After we make an impression of your teeth, we send that to the company to make your aligners. Both systems typically take about a year to work.

With Invisalign, you will change aligners every two weeks or so. With ClearCorrect, you will switch aligners every three weeks.

Because the aligners are clear, many people will never know that you are wearing an orthodontic appliance.

That’s just one of the advantages plastic aligners compared to braces.

First, you can take your aligners out when you eat and when you brush and floss your teeth. You can eat whatever you like, and you don’t have to change your regular oral hygiene routine.

With braces, there are certain foods you will need to avoid so you don’t accidentally pull the your wires loose or break them. As far as brushing and flossing, you will need to be more deliberate to make sure no food particles get caught between your brackets, teeth, and wires.

Second, the aligners are made of one piece of smooth plastic.

With braces, the metal brackets can sometimes feel scratchy, and sometimes the wires break. When that happens they may poke your cheeks, lips, or gums.

With Invisalign or ClearCorrect, you have an alternative to braces that is clearer, more comfortable, and more convenient.

After Your Treatment

No matter what orthodontic option you receive, there is one thing all of them have in common. You will need to wear a retainer for a short time when you are finished.

The retainer is used to keep your teeth in their new position. Without it, your teeth may start to drift back to their original positions, in which case your orthodontic work would have been for nothing.

Start Today To Get Your New Smile Sooner

When you are ready to give your teeth a push in the right direction, schedule an appointment at our dentist office in Columbia, SC.

Call 803-272-4162 or fill out our online form to schedule your visit to Total Dental Care of South Carolina.

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