If you are like a lot of adults, you never had to deal with braces or retainers as a teenager. Even if you did have to go through a period of time where you wore awkward metal aligners during school, your teeth might not have ended up staying straight for very long. Many grown-ups wonder whether adults can get straight teeth at an older age.
Can Adults Get Straight Teeth?
Fortunately, our East Highland Dental dentists are happy to assure you that adults have many unique opportunities to straighten their teeth. In fact, you can do so with a bigger chance of success than you would have if you got braces as a child. Below, we’ll review the most popular options for adults looking to straighten their teeth – and some good reasons why you should pursue orthodontic dentistry ASAP.
Why Adults Should Get Braces
There are a lot of reasons why you may be looking to wear aligners at an older age. Whether you deal with crooked teeth or you have a medical malady causing your dental health to deteriorate, there are a lot of valid symptoms that can be resolved by wearing braces. Here are just a few of the reasons why you may be seeking innovative orthodontic treatments as an adult:
Better Treatment Options
Overall, adults have better orthodontic treatments to choose from than children. Not only are the teeth still developing in the teenage years, which could cause more misalignment down the line, but kids are also less likely to follow their dental health routine as strictly as an adult would. As a result, the work done by the braces can get reversed. You will have a better chance at permanently fixing your misalignment if you seek orthodontics as an older individual.
Medical Prevention
You may need to get your teeth straightened as a result of a different medical malady. Not only that, but crooked teeth can be the culprit when diagnosing such conditions as sleep apnea, inflammation, and gum infection. If you are constantly dealing with dental health issues, you may want to schedule an appointment with your local orthodontist.
Self-Confidence
There is ample evidence to show that braces can improve self-confidence as an adult. If you are finding it hard to smile or speak in public because of the state of your teeth, you will enjoy the mental health benefits that orthodontic treatments can bring you. This is especially true with Invisalign, which is hardly noticeable while you are wearing it.
Best Types of Braces for Adults
If you are an adult looking to straighten your teeth, you have many good options available to you. Different types of braces and aligners include:
- Metal Braces. These are the traditional braces usually worn by kids and include metal brackets on the teeth that slowly pull the teeth into place over time. They are effective, but many patients prefer more discreet and comfortable treatments.
- Invisalign. By far the most popular option for adults, Invisalign comes with a set of invisible aligner trays that are almost unnoticeable when you wear them. They can be removed while eating and brushing your teeth, helping you live a more comfortable life during treatment.
- Lingual Braces. A good compromise between metal braces and Invisalign is the lingual braces treatment, which adds a series of metal aligners behind the teeth. They are invisible from the front, but they still require you to wear metal hardware for quite some time.
Choose Your Orthodontic Dentistry Option Today
Adults have a very high success rate of permanent alignment after choosing one of our effective adult braces solutions. Whether you are interested in traditional metal braces or you want to learn more about invisible aligners, get in touch with our pros at East Highland Dental today. You can schedule a consultation with us as a first-time patient no matter what age you are!