Cosmetic Teeth Straightening From Your General Dentist

Teeth straightening treatments serve therapeutic and cosmetic purposes. Having poorly aligned teeth makes it harder to clean teeth, which makes you more vulnerable to tooth decay and gum disease. Poorly aligned teeth also ruin the way your smile looks.

To make things worse, teeth straightening appliances like braces can make a person’s teeth appear even worse. These appliances are made up of brackets and wires that look like miniature TV antennas glued to the wearer’s teeth. That is not the look most people are going for.

Exploring your cosmetic teeth straightening options

While braces ruin the appearance of your smile, there are some oral appliances and restorations that can be used to improve the alignment of your teeth or create the illusion of straight teeth. Here are some popular cosmetic teeth straightening options:

1. Veneers

Veneers provide one of the fastest ways to straighten teeth, or, more specifically, create the illusion of straight teeth. Issues veneers can be used to treat include crooked and misaligned teeth. Veneers are designed to look like real teeth, and they are used to cover up the front teeth.

Placing veneers on teeth often requires the removal of enamel from its sides. This creates space for the restorations, so they do not make the person’s teeth appear abnormally bulky. No prep veneers can be used if the patient would rather avoid having their teeth altered for the veneers.

Veneers are typically made from an impression or digital model of the patient’s teeth. Getting teeth fitted with them often requires multiple visits to the dentist, but the process can be completed in as little as two weeks. That leads to significantly faster results than other teeth straightening options like braces and clear aligners.

2. Clear aligners

Like braces, clear aligners work by constantly pushing on the wearer’s teeth, slowly moving them to a better position. Unlike braces, these appliances are virtually impossible to notice when worn and they allow the wearer to show off their teeth as they move towards a better alignment.

Clear aligners are transparent trays that fit snuggly on teeth. Patients get multiples sets of trays at the start of their treatment. These trays work like a relay team, with each set being worn for about two weeks. That is about how long it takes for each set of trays to push the wearer’s teeth as far as they can. The next set takes over from there, pushing the wearer’s teeth even further.

Clear aligners are made from a 3D model of the patient’s teeth. Projections of what the patient’s teeth will look like over the course of their treatment are displayed on a screen, and the dentist makes adjustments as needed.

Aligners need to be worn for at least 22 hours per day for the treatment to be effective. Not wearing aligners as recommended can lead to complications and lengthen treatment times.

Explore teeth straightening options

These are only a few of the cosmetic teeth straightening options available to you. Call or visit our Walnut Creek clinic to learn more about your options.

Request an appointment here: https://www.dentistrywalnutcreek.com or call Advanced Dentistry Of Walnut Creek at (925) 937-2273 for an appointment in our Walnut Creek office.

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