How your teeth look can affect your self confidence, and making the decision to straighten your teeth can be exciting and a little daunting. You may be excited about having a new, straight smile, but concerned about how you will look while your teeth are changing.
At Peterborough Orthodontist Centre we offer traditional braces, but we also have options for near-invisible teeth straightening solutions. No-one will know you are wearing braces, so you can keep smiling even through treatment.
Invisalign uses custom made clear aligners, which fit comfortably over your teeth. The great attraction is that the aligners are nearly invisible, and can be removed for important occasions or when eating. The treatment itself is straightforward. The aligners work in a similar way to other types of braces, applying pressure gently to your teeth over a period of time until they are moved into a straight position.
Clear braces are a fixed brace, using ceramic brackets which blend in with your natural teeth.
Fixed metal braces are fitted permanently until the desired straightening of teeth is achieved.
Retainers are used after you have had your teeth straightened to ensure that they remain in their new straight position. It's essential that retainers are worn as recommended by your Peterborough Orthodontic Centre orthodontist, in order to ensure you continue to enjoy your new, straighter smile.
For under 18's with severe tooth prominence or crowding, NHS orthodontic treatment may be available.
(Subject to qualifying under a national rating system known as IOTN)
Orthodontics
Who can benefit from orthodontic treatment?
At Portman, we have treated thousands of patients, aged from eight to 88 years old. There is never a point in life where we cannot move healthy crooked teeth into their ideal positions.
Orthodontics
Why are my teeth not straight?
There are many causes of overcrowding, gaps and crooked teeth. For some people it can be inherited or possibly acquired, either due to a habit (sucking of the thumb, prolonged use of a dummy), or because of the premature loss of milk teeth or adult teeth.
Orthodontics
What can be treated?
Orthodontic treatments have evolved enormously over the last 20 years. Now problems such as gaps between the teeth, crowded teeth, overbite (upper teeth covering the majority of the lower ones), open bite (upper and lower teeth almost don’t touch) and cross bites can all be treated.
Orthodontics
What will the impact of orthodontic treatment be?
Orthodontic problems can have a profound impact on a person and their social and professional life. Depending on the extent of a problem, you might even be too self-conscious to smile. Effective orthodontic treatment not only improves your appearance, but also goes a long way to improving your self-confidence.
Orthodontics
Should teeth be straightened for health reasons?
The correction of poor dental positioning also improves oral hygiene, as crowded or crooked teeth are often hard to clean properly. With such an improvement, the risk of gum disease for example – which can result in loss of teeth in extreme cases – is prevented.
Orthodontics
What other benefits does teeth straightening offer?
Orthodontic treatment improves chewing efficiency by re-establishing the correct relationship between lower and upper teeth, removing the difficulty you may have when chewing certain kinds of food, and so providing better nutrition.
In some cases, orthodontics can also prevent complications in the temporomandibular joint (the joint which joins the jaw to the skull). Chronic pain in the head, face, neck or ears, as well as dizziness, nausea and restricted ability to open and close the mouth can originate here.
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