You might not be aware of the cosmetic orthodontic options you have to improve your smile, but cosmetic dental restorations can be used to improve how aligned your teeth look. Some orthodontic treatments also provide cosmetic benefits as they improve the alignment of your teeth.
Before going any further, we should clarify the difference between a cosmetic and orthodontic treatment. The latter aims to improve the alignment of your teeth by pushing them to more ideal positions, while the former covers up imperfections on your teeth to improve their appearance. At times, these two types of treatments intersect. Some of the more popular cosmetic orthodontic options include:
Clear aligners are one of the most popular ways to straighten teeth these days. These devices are highly preferred to traditional metal braces, which come with metal brackets and wires that ruin how a person’s teeth look.
Like braces, clear aligners work by pushing teeth into a better alignment, but this is done with transparent, plastic aligner trays. It is virtually impossible to notice these trays when they are worn. This allows patients to straighten their teeth, while still being able to show off their smiles.
Treatment with clear aligners involves patients getting several pairs of aligner trays. Each set is worn for two weeks, the time it takes for them to push teeth as far as they can. Each set is replaced with another set that takes over where the last one stopped. Each set is worn for the same amount of time until the patient is done with all of their trays.
The aligner trays are customized for each patient. The orthodontist takes digital images of their patient's mouth that are used to make the appliances in the lab. The patient’s teeth should be properly aligned by the time they are done with all of their trays.
Veneers are a cosmetic dental restoration that can be used to cover up a wide range of dental issues, including misaligned or crooked teeth. An orthodontist typically would not recommend veneers as the first course of treatment for patients with teeth alignment issues since braces and clear aligners actually improve the alignment of teeth.
Veneers cannot do that, but they can create the appearance of perfectly straight teeth. Nothing compares to veneers when it comes to transforming a person’s smile. The practice started as a technique to improve how Hollywood celebrities looked on screen but eventually became popular with the masses.
Dentists only recommend veneers for “teeth straightening” purposes when patients have other issues that need to be addressed with veneers like stains that cannot be removed with whitening treatments or abnormally shaped teeth.
Crowns can also be used to create the appearance of straight teeth. As is the case with veneers, crowns are usually used to make teeth look more aligned when patients have other issues that require crowns like severely eroded teeth due to teeth grinding or severe decay.
There is no such thing as a smile that our orthodontist cannot transform into an amazing one. Give us a call or drop by our Laguna Hills clinic to set up an appointment.
Request an appointment here: https://www.orangecoastortho.com or call Orange Coast Orthodontics at (949) 860-1231 for an appointment in our Laguna Hills office.
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