In the world of dentistry there has been a huge upsurge in the number of adults seeking treatment for straighter teeth.
There are two main reasons for this. Until the last decade or so, it was unusual for adults to seek treatment because it would mean wearing heavy-duty metal bracket and wire braces. This is no longer the case. As long as the problem is a matter of adjusting only the teeth and not the alignment of the jaw, the forces required are gentler and this means the equipment required can be lighter and smaller.
At Wimbledon Dental Care in Wimbledon, we have a great system that can give people straighter front teeth in an average of only six months.
Six Month Smiles is the name of a system designed to adjust the front six social teeth, which are much easier to move than the molars because they have fewer roots.
How does Six Month Smiles work?
The system works on the tried and tested mechanical principles of traditional bracket and wire braces. The angle at which the brackets are placed on the teeth determine in which direction they will be pulled by the wires, which are progressively tightened throughout the treatment. The difference is that the brackets are much smaller and made of clear ceramic, and the wires are thinner and made of tooth-coloured nickel titanium.
The braces blend in with the teeth rather than dominating them, and because they use gentler forces, Six Month Smiles are much more comfortable to wear.
If you are a good candidate for Six Month Smiles, we’ll take photos and impressions of your teeth and send them off to the Six Month Smiles laboratory, where they will calculate the required position and angle of each bracket and the shape of the wires.
When they come back, we bond them to your teeth, and every four to six weeks make adjustments if necessary.
When your teeth are straight, it’s great to have a mini smile makeover, getting any chips and cracks repaired, and also have a whitening treatment so you can show off your lovely new smile to the world.