Braces for adults? Surely, that’s not a thing, right? Braces are usually worn by teenagers. After that, it’s too late…right? Wrong!
Orthodontics for adults is growing in popularity as more people realize they can create the smile they’ve always wanted at any age.
More than a quarter of our Topeka, KS, orthodontics patients at Wilson & Hendrickson Orthodontics are adults. Our patients know that you don’t have to be a teenager to get a beautiful, new smile. Adult orthodontics with braces or Invisalign can repair your bite and give you a confident, new smile!
Why Get Braces as an Adult?
You may think that since you’ve lived this long with bad teeth, there’s no point in improving them now. But bad teeth could be affecting far more than you realize. A malocclusion, or “bad bite,” can cause everything from headaches to digestive issues to sleep problems. It can also accelerate tooth decay, and you want to keep your teeth as long as possible, right?
Here are some of the problems crooked teeth in adults can cause:
- Headaches
- Neckaches
- Jaw fatigue
- TMJ (Temporomandibular Joint) Disorder
- Snoring
- Sleep Apnea
- Indigestion
- Acid reflux
- Accelerated tooth decay
- Gum disease
- Broken, cracked, or chipped teeth
How Does a Bad Bite Hurt Me?
Your teeth are designed to be straight and to meet in a certain way. This allows you to chew your food properly and without excessive stress on your teeth or jaws. When your teeth are out of place, it causes undue stress on your teeth and jaws. This can cause some of the symptoms we mentioned, from damaged teeth to headaches.
Oral Hygiene
Crooked teeth in adults are also harder to clean. Straight teeth are much easier to clean because you can reach all of the surfaces with either a toothbrush or dental floss. If your teeth overlap or are too close together, it can be much harder to reach those surfaces.
Excessive Wear
As you age, your teeth wear down naturally. A bad bite can wear your teeth down faster by putting pressure where it doesn’t belong. It could mean the difference between having your teeth for the rest of your life or ending up in dentures in a few years.
Digestion
You’re probably wondering how bad teeth affect digestion. Your digestive process starts in your mouth as you chew. Saliva and your teeth combine to break down the food into smaller components that not only will slide down your esophagus easily but will also digest quickly in your stomach.
With a bad bite, you may not chew your food well enough. It will be harder to swallow and may cause you to send a lot of air down with the food. This can lead to indigestion and acid reflux.
The bottom line is that your oral health is a major factor in your overall health.
How Can Adult Braces Help Me?
Braces for adults and Invisalign for adults have transformed our patients. There is nothing we love more than to see the confident new smile our patients have when they leave our office. Orthodontic adult treatment boosts your self-esteem. Your smile is your best first impression, and a beautiful, straight smile makes a great one!
Braces will also reduce or eliminate the symptoms we’ve mentioned and may even help you sleep better. How is that possible? A misshapen jaw can cause the roof of the mouth or part of the jaw to intrude into your sinus cavities.
Crooked teeth can also cause your tongue to sit incorrectly when you sleep. Both of these can cause you to snore or can cause sleep apnea. Braces work to reduce or eliminate these symptoms.
Straightening your teeth can help them last longer. Your teeth are designed to last a lifetime, and having a normal bite will allow you to keep them longer. Why worry about dealing with dentures when you can keep your own teeth?
How Can I Get Orthodontic Treatment for Adults?
Wilson & Hendrickson Orthodontics treats adults with our advanced metal braces, clear braces, and Invisalign clear aligners. We find our adult patients prefer that their braces keep a low profile, which is why they tend to choose clear braces or clear aligners. However, we offer all three orthodontic options for adults.
- Metal Braces: Our metal braces use advanced technology to move your teeth faster and more comfortably than traditional braces. They’re also smaller than the braces you may remember from your youth.
- Clear Braces: Our clear braces have the moving power of traditional types of braces without the look of metal. Our custom-molded, clear, ceramic braces brackets are closer to your natural tooth color, so they blend better. Many of our adult braces patients prefer clear braces for the lower-profile look.
- Invisalign: Clear aligners have become very popular with adult orthodontic patients because they’re nearly invisible on the teeth. Wilson & Hendrickson Orthodontics is a Top 1% Provider of Invisalign in Topeka, KS. That means we have the expertise to provide Invisalign and to know when braces might be the better option for you.
Some of the more severe cases may require pre-treatment before your braces or clear aligners. For example, if you have a narrow upper jaw, you may need a palate expander to widen your jaw and allow all of your teeth to have the space they need. In rare cases, surgery may be required to correct severe issues. We’ll let you know what you might need, if anything, before your treatment begins, as well as your best treatment options.
How Long Will I Wear Adult Braces?
On average, braces treatment lasts 12-24 months, and Invisalign treatment is about 9-15 months. However, adult braces treatment can last a bit longer than with children or teenagers. It all comes down to mouth development.
As a child and teenager, the bones of your mouth are still developing as baby teeth are shed and permanent ones come in. Your jaws are not as hard so this happens more comfortably. That makes it easier to move teeth around.
Once all your teeth are in and you reach adulthood, your jaws naturally harden. Does that mean you can’t get braces or Invisalign? Definitely not! It just means it takes a little longer to teach your jaw to break down and reharden as your teeth move.
Once they get going, though, your teeth will move just fine with braces or clear aligners! We’ll let you know your treatment time as part of your free evaluation.
Orthodontist for Adults in Topeka, KS
Take it from this orthodontist, braces for adults are a great gift to give yourself. You deserve to have the smile of your dreams, no matter what age you are! At Wilson & Hendrickson, we will show you the amazing results you can achieve with braces or Invisalign and how long it will take to get there.
We can even offer great financing options to help with the cost of braces, whether or not your dental insurance covers it! Schedule an appointment with us. Your perfect smile is waiting for you, whether you’re young or young at heart!