If you’re an adult looking into braces, you may be hoping for something more discreet than the metal braces you grew up seeing. At Central Texas Orthodontics in Austin, TX, one of the many braces we offer are ceramic braces, which have clear brackets instead of metal ones. This can be an especially great option for teenagers and adults who don’t want their braces to be as noticeable.
How Long Do You Need To Wear Ceramic Braces?
Around 18 Months
Ceramic braces usually have the same treatment time as traditional braces. Once we evaluate your dental condition, it will be easier for us to give you a more accurate idea of what to expect. Most patients will wear their braces for 18 months or less, but some cases will take a bit more time if they need more involved corrections.
How Should I Take Care of My Braces?
Wear a Mouthguard
If you enjoy sports or an active lifestyle, getting braces doesn’t mean you have to put all that on hold. That said, it is important that you protect your braces from damage whenever possible. There are mouthguards that are designed with braces in mind, so you can enjoy your hobbies and the benefits of treatment at the same time.
Have Issues Corrected
If you notice any issue with your braces, even if it seems minor, it’s important to reach out and get it fixed as soon as possible. This can help prevent further damage and help your treatment plan to stay on track.
Be Mindful
When it comes to preventing damage, watching what you chew is important as well. Some patients find themselves chewing hard items like pens or their nails when they’re bored or stressed. Not only can this risk harming your gums if a piece of the pen breaks off, but it could also risk damaging or staining your braces. By avoiding these habits, you can help keep your teeth, gums, and braces safer.
Brush Correctly
Most people know that plaque, food particles, and bacteria aren’t good for the teeth or gums, but did you know it’s important to keep your braces clean, too? If plaque is allowed to build up around your braces, it could harden into tartar. This could affect how your braces look and function, which may slow down your progress. By consistently brushing and flossing, you can help your braces stay in working order.
Keeping the right technique in mind is important too. Some patients with good intentions try to scrub their teeth extra hard to make up for not brushing long enough. While this may seem like a good way to save time, scrubbing too hard can actually damage your enamel. Ultimately, brushing hard is not as effective or safe as gently brushing for two minutes twice a day.
Get Cleanings
We always recommend staying on top of your routine cleanings, but your routine appointments are especially important if you have braces. When you come in to visit us, we’ll be able to closely check your braces and make sure they’re working without issue.
When we make adjustments, we’re helping the braces do a more effective job immediately and in the long run.
What Benefits Can I Look Forward To?
1. Sleek Design
Kids are more likely to see their friends wearing braces and are also more likely to find it fun to customize their braces with different elastics. Teenagers and adults, on the other hand, are often more concerned about how braces are going to look or affect their confidence. Adult patients often don’t want to stand out or look immature. Clear braces can help you get the corrections you need without being too visually distracting.
Clear braces allow your teeth to show through and allow your smile to look more seamless. The braces also tend to look more modern, which is appealing to many patients.
2. Improved Confidence
Many adults hesitate to seek out the treatment they need because they don’t like the look of braces. This can lead to years of having to deal with unnecessary dental issues or not being happy with a smile.
If you don’t want braces to mentally hold you back in your personal or professional life, clear braces may help you feel confident enough to get the treatment you want without having to sacrifice your confidence. In addition, once your smile is corrected it can greatly improve future confidence as well.
3. No Misplacement
We offer several discreet options when it comes to dental corrections. Clear aligners can be a wonderful option, as they’re made of clear plastic and can slide right over your teeth. However, it’s important to wear clear aligners consistently, and if the patient was to lose them after taking them out, it could set back their treatment time.
Clear braces strive to be the best of both worlds, as they offer clear technology with the added benefit of staying exactly where they’re supposed to be. Since ceramic braces can’t be misplaced, as long as you come in for your regular adjustments your treatment should stay right on track. Knowing that they don’t have to worry about misplacing their braces can be a source of comfort for many patients.
4. Better Cleaning
There are cosmetic reasons to correct teeth, but correcting teeth can make dental hygiene easier as well. When teeth are misaligned, there are often spaces that are too tightly packed, or teeth that overlap each other. Even if you are thorough about brushing and flossing, misaligned teeth are simply more difficult to clean properly.
Once these teeth have been corrected, the spaces that used to be a perfect habitat for plaque and decay should be much easier to access. This can help you when you clean your teeth at home and can make dental cleanings easier at the dentist too. In the long term, it can help you avoid unnecessary tooth decay or gum disease.
5. Long-Term Comfort
Many patients don’t realize that misaligned teeth can throw the balance of their jaw out of whack. Not only can this contribute to jaw pain, but it can cause soreness that travels down the neck and even headaches. Some patients find this discomfort affects their ability to sleep comfortably.
Misaligned teeth often wear down unevenly, which can worsen the issue over time. Treating this issue can improve long-term comfort levels.
6. Health Benefits
If you’re waiting for the right time to seek out treatment, sooner is often better. Tooth alignment isn’t something that usually gets better on its own, it’s more likely for misalignment to get worse over time rather than better. If you notice an issue developing or have been dealing with it for a while, it may be a good idea to get your treatment started before the issue gets worse.
7. Powerful Corrections
Clear braces can help with the same sort of issues that traditional braces are used for. Whether you have mild or severe misalignment, you can benefit from high-quality corrective technology while enjoying the visual of clear brackets.
Overcrowding
Overcrowded teeth can be difficult to clean, and often lead to misalignment when some teeth get pushed around by others. Crooked teeth are also more difficult to fit with crowns or fillings. Correcting overcrowded teeth can improve a lot of issues.
Gaps
Braces can be used to correct spacing issues whether teeth are too close together or spaced too far apart. Patients sometimes find that gaps in their teeth can affect their speech, ability to eat what they’d like to, or confidence.
Underbites and Overbites
Braces are a very helpful tool we can use to improve underbites and overbites. This can help a patient feel more confident in their smile, but it can also support the health of your teeth and jaw by aligning them correctly. For instance, overbites and underbites may put you at more risk of developing painful jaw conditions like TMJ.
8. Flexible Options
Clear braces can handle a wide range of concerns and might be exactly what you’re looking for. That said, we believe it’s important to take the unique needs of each individual patient into consideration before we recommend your treatment.
In addition to ceramic braces, we offer clear aligners and even self-ligating braces that can be paired with traditional or clear brackets. Our goal is to help you achieve better dental health and your smile goals with a treatment that works for your lifestyle.
What Should I Do if I Have More Questions?
We’d be happy to answer your questions in person! Sometimes meeting in person is the best way to get more specific answers and personalized advice. If you’re interested in ceramic braces and would like more information, reach out to us at Central Texas Orthodontics in Austin, TX, today to set up a consultation.
