Teeth straightening: not just for kids

Teeth straightening: not just for kids

31 May 2016

Teeth straightening procedures should never be seen as purely aesthetic concerns. At Staplehurst Dental Practice in Kent we offer a number of different methods of straightening teeth, many of which can have significant benefits for your dental and general health.

The benefits of teeth straightening

Some 70% of the adult population in the UK are unhappy with their smile to the extent that they don’t like smiling for photographs. At our Kent dental practice we offer a number of ways to make over your smile, using both orthodontics and cosmetic dentistry to create the smile you’ve always wanted.

One of the most common smile wishes heard at our Kent dental clinic is the desire for straighter, better-aligned teeth. A lot of people think that as an adult teeth straightening treatment is beyond their reach; whilst orthodontics is seen as standard for children and teenagers these days, there are also a number of teeth straightening options available to adults.

Many people are instantly turned off the thought of teeth straightening as an adult because they wrongly equate orthodontics with obvious metal train-track braces. In the 21st Century there are, in fact, many more subtle methods to straighten teeth. At Staplehurst Dental Practice in Kent we can use either fixed, tooth-coloured braces, or clear removable aligners.

As well as the obvious aesthetic benefits to teeth straightening, it can improve your oral and general health in many ways, including reducing your chances of developing gum disease (which has been linked in some studies to conditions including strokes, diabetes and heart disease) and tooth decay because it makes your teeth easier to clean.

By correcting issues with protruding front teeth, you can help to protect your teeth from potential damage caused by accident or injury. If you have issues with your bite that make you grind your teeth at night (known as bruxism), using discreet orthodontic products can significantly reduce these problems.

There are a number of options available at our Kent dental practice, which will be discussed in full at your initial consultation. They include:

Six Month Smiles (cosmetic braces)

Invisalign (clear aligners)

Invisalign i7 (aligners for mild issues)