Are you looking for ways to straighten teeth without braces?
For those with misaligned teeth, it can be difficult to chew or speak right. For many others, having crooked teeth or tooth gaps limits their opportunities. 28% of Millennials say that imperfect teeth hinder their ability to get interviewed for a job.
Whether it’s gaps or misaligned teeth, they’re dissatisfying dental problems. Thus, it’s common for people to look for alternatives for painful and inconvenient braces.
If you want to know how to have straight teeth without having to get braces, keep reading
1. See a Dentist to Get Retainers
Let’s begin with fixed retainers, which is often the next step after braces get removed. If you have minor malocclusion, you can skip the braces and get to using retainers right away. If you want to learn how to straighten teeth sans braces, they’re a great alternative.
Orthodontic retainers can be removable or fixed. If you choose to get fixed retainers, they’ll get cemented to the back of your teeth. This way, it won’t be obvious that you’re using them at all.
If you want a choice that lets you clean your teeth with more ease, choose removable retainers.
They’re easy to take off and place back in your teeth. They’ll be a little more obvious, especially the ones made of metal. You can also get retainers made of plastic, which is less visible.
The typical cost for retainers is around $500-$2,500. The cost will depend on the difficulty and length of your treatment. Your dentist or orthodontist will let you know how long you need to wear retainers.
They’re great for patients of all ages. However, since they’re expensive to replace, younger patients may use other alternatives.
2. Use Invisalign to Straighten Teeth Without Braces
Another effective way to straighten teeth without braces is to get Invisalign trays. It helps shift your teeth into the right position without using traditional braces. Invisalign is an orthodontic treatment that uses custom-fitted clear plastic aligners.
The great thing about Invisalign is that there are fewer limitations. For example, you can eat and/or drink anything you want. You only need to remove your Invisalign trays for each meal you take.
It’s easy to remove the clear trays since they’re not glued to your teeth. This also makes it easy to clean your teeth. Plus, you don’t have to schedule as many appointments as you would when you get metal braces.
Let’s not forget that it doesn’t cause as much pain to your teeth and inner mouth lining. If you have allergies to metal, Invisalign is your best chance to fix teeth without braces. Every 2-3 weeks, you get a new plastic tray from your dentist.
The only thing you need to worry about Invisalign is your daily wear time. It takes getting used to at first, but you need to follow the recommended daily wear time of 22 hours a day. Other concerns include staining your teeth and getting tongue sores at first.
Follow your dentist’s instructions. To avoid tongue sores, use dental wax to cover sharp edges in your tray. You should avoid drinking coffee or eating with your Invisalign on, or you risk getting teeth stains. You can have your Invisalign at a remarkable dentist in Ocala.
3. Try Palatal Expanders
Are your teeth misaligned because they’re crowding together? If this is the case, you need palatal expanders to help your teeth adjust better. Palatal expanders create space in your upper jaw so the upper and lower teeth fit together.
Palatal or orthodontic expanders also fix crossbites and impacted teeth. The patients often qualified for palatal expanders are those between the ages of 8 and 18 years. This is because these patients have palate bones that are yet to fuse in full.
Adults who are older than 18 can also get palatal expanders, but the process will be painful. In essence, you’re forcing your fully-formed palate bone to expand.
Often, getting braces is the next step after you use palatal expanders. However, it’s not a necessary step if you don’t want it. After the bone adjusts, you’ll often need to get a retainer to improve or maintain the position of your teeth.
4. Improve Your Teeth With Appliances
Does your main problem lie with your jaw? In this case, you can also look to use an appliance to fix this. Appliances focus on fixing the jaw, which then affects fixing the alignment of your teeth.
There are many types of appliances you can use for straightening your teeth. An example is the Herbst appliance. It helps develop your jaw in a forward direction.
It has a metal extension that your orthodontist attaches to the molars. This then helps correct your bite. Note that with the Herbst appliance, it takes time to see results.
If you want to know how to straighten your teeth without braces, try appliances like the headgear.
It’s a less subtle appliance. Imagine young Willy Wonka from the 2005 Tim Burton movie. However, the actual headgear isn’t cage-like, wild, or complex.
They’re less popular now that people value appearances. However, if you don’t mind or if you keep your daily socialization to a minimum, it’s something to consider.
5. Fix Your Teeth With Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are thin, custom-made shells created to look like the surface of teeth. They cover the front side of your teeth and serve to improve your smile. Other than fixing misalignment, veneers also hide chipped, broken, and discolored teeth.
Depending on your dentist’s evaluation, you can also fix tooth gaps with dental veneers. Some dentists refer to veneers as porcelain veneers or dental porcelain laminates. Porcelain and resin composite are the two types of materials used for dental veneers.
Veneers work well for teeth with minor misalignment. They’re a permanent solution if you don’t want to go through the trouble of removing aligners to clean your teeth. Veneers get cemented to your teeth, which is what makes it irreversible.
Another thing to note about veneers is that they’re expensive. The typical cost of getting one tooth covered can range from $500 to $1,300. Thus, it’s important to take great care of your veneers.
Alternatives For Traditional Braces
Out with metal braces and in with modern teeth straighteners! Often, braces cause a lot of inconvenience in cleaning and comfort. Not to mention, metal braces are painful and can cause a lot of tissue damage to the inner linings of your mouth.
These are the best ways to straighten teeth without braces. We hope you learned a lot about how to make teeth straight with no need for difficult braces.
If you want to learn more about orthodontics or find out other ways to look and feel your best, check out our other guides now. Lastly, if you happen to be experiencing missing teeth, be sure to check out DENTArt Chicago for dental implants procedures.
