Never Too Late: How to Improve Your Smile in Adulthood

For many of us, correcting the bite may be reminiscent of the torment of Willy Wonka’s father’s large and horrid orthodontic invention. However, today adults are also considering correcting their bite or teeth that are far from Hollywood standards.

For some, correcting one out of place tooth will become an opportunity to be more confident, while for others correcting the bite might alleviate medical problems. There is no need for frightening Willy Wonka braces for any of these concerns,  and even today doctors can make them as inconspicuous as possible.

 

1. One or More Teeth Out of Place ut in  the Front  Row

An aligner is a removable transparent cap placed over your front teeth. It is designed to render constant weak pressure on the tooth. This causes the resorption of bone tissue in the direction of the movement of the tooth and helps the tooth grow in the opposite direction. As a result of this, the tooth gradually and almost painlessly moves along a predetermined path. As soon as the tooth moves slightly, you begin to wear the next mouthpiece and so on. Such correction lasts from 6 months to 3 years.

An aligner is one-piece construction, which is made from molds of your jaws and is easily removed for eating and brushing. Depending on the number and location of teeth requiring correction, you can wear either one mouthpiece on the upper or lower jaw, or a set of two.

To achieve the fastest result, it is recommended to wear an aligner all day.  This is quite simple since the device does not attract attention and does not rub against the gums. Aligners have few contraindications which are mainly related to bite problems that require more serious intervention.

 

2. Malocclusion or a Large Number of Crooked Teeth in the Main Row

Braces are non-removable devices that are fixed with special glue on the outer or inner surface of the teeth. The device is based on a metal arc, whose resistance evens out the teeth. Like the aligner, the bracket system exerts moderate pressure on the tooth so that it begins to move to the right place. Correction can take an average of one and a half to two or more years.

The most common braces are called vestibular and are attached to the front of the teeth. Their advantages compared with lingual (internal) braces are greater predictability of treatment results for specialists, significantly lower price, and ease of care. The main drawback, because of which many people avoid installing vestibular braces, is their noticeability.

However, today you can find subtle light braces made of ceramics. races cause discomfort at first, but beautiful teeth are worth it. In some people, after removing braces, a change in the shape of the face and smoothing of the nasolabial folds are observed.

Lingual braces are attached to the inside of the teeth and are completely invisible to others. The peculiarity of such systems is that they reduce the internal part of the oral cavity, which is why patients at first may experience diction problems and tongue microdamage.

 

3. One or More Teeth That Are Slightly Chipped, Narrower or Shorter Than the Other

Veneers are thin porcelain or composite plates that replace the outer layer of the front teeth. They are made individually in accordance with the shape, color of the teeth and patient’s desired appearance. Among the indications is the curved shape of the tooth, cracks, wide gaps between the teeth, discoloration of the tooth due to diseases or patient’s dissatisfaction with the natural color of tooth enamel.

Veneers are not felt by you and do not differ from natural teeth. To install them, you need to make a tooth cast and reshape your tooth a little. It doesn’t hurt, but you need to understand that enamel grinding is irreversible so if you would like to remove the veneer, you will require other tooth restoration procedures. Another disadvantage of veneers is their high cost.

Contraindications to the installation of veneers include some problems with a bite, a high degree of abrasion of the teeth, the presence of massive fillings on the tooth, as well as habits and diseases that can damage the veneers.

 

4. Tooth Loss

A dental implant is a denture prosthesis and the only way to replace a lost tooth. A crown imitating a tooth is placed on top of the dental implant. Implantation is a complete operation that is performed under local anesthesia. Therefore, the list of contraindications is quite large and includes the blood, heart, immune and nervous systems diseases, as well as an acute period of cancer.

 

In addition, there are local, orthodontic contraindications like periodontitis and malocclusion. So, you may have to undergo braces treatment before restoring one or more teeth. You can eat on the same day but it is recommended to abandon hard-to-chew food for about a month. If healing goes well, the crown on the implant can be installed 2-3 days after surgery.