How To Straighten Teeth

Hi, my name's Dr. Amit Majevadia and I'm the principal dentist here at Prestwood Dental Health Centre. Today, I'm going to talk about straightening teeth.

First, we'll start off with why we should straighten teeth. Most people straighten teeth for cosmetic reasons, but apart from that, there might be other reasons why we need to realign teeth and straighten them. Sometimes, people's teeth are so out of alignment that when they bite together, it can be quite traumatic.

Also by having straighter teeth, you can clean them easier and therefore reducing the chance of any decay and gum disease. So let's move on to the different ways of straightening teeth. Most people recognise normal metal braces.

That's the traditional way of moving and aligning teeth, also known as orthodontics. Okay, so there are two main types of braces that one can wear. There are the fixed metal braces, but also there's a removable metal brace and your orthodontist will advise which one is ideal for you, and sometimes, it's a mixture of the two and it really depends on what sort of alignment, or dis-alignment if you like, that one has.

But I think the key here is that you have to visit your orthodontist to have a consultation, and then after a discussion with him or her, you can decide on what type of brace is good for yourself. Another way of moving teeth or straightening teeth, is using these clear aligners. As you can see, this is not what most people would recognise as a metal brace.

However, they can do a very similar job in that they will move teeth and straighten teeth. What we've got here is a very, very simple example of how a clear aligner can be used to straighten teeth. This model as you can see, the two front teeth are fairly spaced and splayed outwards and after wearing the clear brace for quite a few months, this is how the patient looked afterwards.

You can see the teeth have been closed up and we've got a nice round arch form there. If you're interested in clear aligners or clear braces, you can come and see myself at the Prestwood Dental Centre, or any other dentist who is qualified in using clear appliances. Finally, there's one last thing I'd like to talk about, which is what I call "masking teeth".

This can only be used in very slight discrepancies of the alignment of teeth. Veneers and crowns can be used to mask the appearance, so it looks like you have straighter teeth and a nice rounded arch. However, you have to remember that underneath those veneers and crowns, your original teeth are still as they were.

And that's just some very simple and brief advise on different ways of straightening and moving teeth.