It wasn’t so many years ago that teeth straightening treatments meant one thing…. having to wear those clunky looking ‘train-track’ style metal braces that glinted in the light every time you smiled. Nowadays, however, technology has moved on and orthodontic treatments such as the Inman Aligner UK and Invisalign braces UK are as far removed from traditional ‘bracket and wiring’ style braces as you can get. In this post our orthodontist Manchester explores the changing face of ‘aligner style’ braces.
Fixed vs removable braces
Traditional bracket and wiring style brace systems are fixed permanently into the mouth for the duration of the treatment. The brackets are glued into position onto the teeth and then the tensioning wire is painstakingly threaded through. In most cases the only time this style of orthodontic treatment is removed is when the braces have done their job and the teeth are back into the correct position. Ultimately this means that the patient needs to wear them 24/7, often for a considerable amount of time.
Aligner style braces however are different. Why? Because they’re designed to be easily removable. What’s more they’re designed to be removed by the patient on a daily basis. Because of this, removable brace treatments such as the Inman aligner and Invisalign treatments give the patient full control over their treatment. Both these styles of braces are designed to be removed when eating and drinking. This avoids the hassle of getting food particles lodged in between the brackets and as such, it makes oral hygiene easier. Ultimately although they are supposed to be worn for a minimum of 18 hours in the case of the Inman aligner UK and 20 hours for the Invisalign aligner, patients can choose when and where they’d like to wear them.
No more wiring
All braces work by applying gentle and sustained force to the teeth in order to push or pull them back into position. Traditionally this is done using tensioning wires that are positioned across the teeth. Ultimately this means that they’re likely to be more visible. While this mightn’t be a problem for some adults, others may feel put off from wearing them. On the contrary with aligner style braces the way that they move teeth is different. The Inman aligner for example utilises two spring loaded bows to gently manoeuvre teeth back into position while Invisalign braces UK uses a series of custom made aligners known as trays. Each aligner is designed to fit snugly over the teeth like a clear plastic gum shield and will move the teeth just 1/10mm. After two weeks that aligner is discarded and changed for the next one in the series. This will be a slightly different size and wouldn’t be able to fit unless the teeth had previously moved sufficiently. Trays are changed every two weeks for the duration of the treatment until eventually, the patient has perfectly straight teeth.
As you can see, the Inman Aligner UK and Invisalign Braces UK could be seen as the way forward for modern-day orthodontic treatment. As such those people who may never have considered adult braces before, might now think differently. They’re discreet, and in the case of the Inman aligner, can straighten teeth fast. To find out more about adult braces come and talk to our orthodontist Manchester for advice. Call us on 0161 660 1218 to book a no-obligation consultation today and take the first steps towards restoring your smile.
