ADULT BRACES
Adult Orthodontics Mount Waverley
If you didn’t get braces as a kid and are now facing them as an adult you’re probably feeling apprehensive and unsure. No worries!
The process for aligning teeth to where they should be for a healthy and straight smile is the same regardless of age. For adults there’s only one difference – and that’s that we tend to spend a little longer in treatment. Here we cover some of the common questions for adults bracing for braces.
Why Does it Take Adults Longer?
To start, adult facial bones are done growing. With younger children aged 8 to 14, braces go a long way because the mouth is more malleable. For adults, braces alone may not do the trick for all corrections. Adults may need teeth extracted, have a severe misalignment, have more severe malocclusion (over bite or under bite) issues, or they may need maxillofacial surgery.
If your dentist recommends braces, the good news is they have really changed and evolved over the last couple decades! Don’t worry, you’re not going to look like one of the metal-mouths of yesteryear. Today your options are much more cosmetically-friendly and easier to deal with. brackets work just as well as the more traditional wire but they’re clear and are much less of a pain to maintain.
Are Braces Worth the Trouble At Your Age?
Yes, most definitely! Across the board adults in many age brackets and demographics extol the virtues of getting braces both from a personal and professional perspective. A healthy smile really goes a long way. It always has and it always will. Then, below the surface, there’s the health benefits of sporting a correct bite.
First and foremost, when your teeth are properly aligned it’s so much easier to clean them and get rid of built-up plaque and tarter. This in turn leads to dramatically lower prevalence of gum or periodontal disease (gum disease). As time goes by we learn more and more about how strong of a connection your oral health has with your overall health. So again, it’s never too late.
A Few Tips for Adult Braces
- Commit: once you commit to braces and have your eyes on the prize of a winning smile, after a few days you will barely notice your braces anymore. After a week or two, you can almost pretend they aren’t there. Remember, they’re only temporary!
- Discreet: don’t constantly bring up your braces if you don’t want them to be a focal point. Because of improvements in the design of braces these days, people won’t notice them as easily.
- Eating :you still need to be mindful of what you put in your mouth, but another perk of modern braces is that they aren’t as big a nuisance at the dinner table anymore.
- Confidence: it’s much easier to be an adult with braces vs. a young kid or teenager! Your confidence is less likely to dip as a result of the temporary braces in your mouth. Besides, in no time your smile will be as good as new!