One of the limitations that make people hesitate before getting braces is that the treatment can take a long time. As a result, there are always people advertising faster braces treatments. Although there are some ways that braces can go faster, it’s important to remember that we always have to be concerned with making sure your teeth are healthy and that you get the best results from your braces. Otherwise, it’s just not worth it.
The Limiting Factor in Braces Speed
When talking about the speed of braces treatment, it’s important to remember how braces work and how that affects their speed. Braces work by putting constant force on your teeth that causes your body to remodel bone around your teeth. Your body removes bone from one side of the tooth and replaces it on the other side, allowing your tooth to move.
The process of bone remodeling is remarkable, but it can’t always be hurried. Trying to hurry it too much can lead to potential problems, such as loose teeth or poor results. That said, there are strategies that can sometimes be used to move your teeth faster.
Strategy 1: Just Move the Teeth That Need It
Sometimes we are just concerned about the appearance of your smile. That means we can focus our efforts on movements of teeth that are easier to move, the front teeth that are more visible when you smile. This can dramatically cut down on the time needed for treatment. This is the theory behind Invisalign Express.
Strategy 2: More Complex Movements
Another possible strategy for moving teeth faster is to try to accomplish more teeth movements at once using more complicated brackets. This allows multiple tooth movements to be accomplished at once. For example, with traditional braces, we might rotate the tooth first, then tilt it, but with more complex brackets we might do both at the same time.
Strategy 3: Don’t Move the Teeth at All
Another possibility is that we might not move your teeth after all. Instead, we might reshape them using porcelain veneers, which are sometimes called “instant orthodontics” when used this way. The roots stay in place, but the crowns are changed to be straight and in line with each other.
Not Always Appropriate
What’s important to remember is that although these strategies are theoretically possible, they’re not always advisable in your case. For example, you might have serious bite problems that mean we need to move some of the harder-to-move teeth. Or we might have concerns that your jaw won’t respond well to more complex movements of your teeth. Or we might think that instant orthodontics won’t give you the results you want.
When you talk to us about your braces, let us know that speed of treatment is important to you, and we’ll recommend the fastest braces treatment possible while ensure the health and long-term beauty of your smile. To schedule your braces consultation, please call (803) 781-9090 for an appointment with a Columbia, SC cosmetic dentist at Smile Columbia Dentistry.
