Many teenagers and young adults struggle with social acceptance and feeling self-confident on a daily basis without the added issue of embarrassing metal mouth! Lingual braces not only help to straighten their teeth so they can achieve a beautiful smile but they are also less visible than regular braces. High school is hard enough! Why add extra stress?!
Traditional braces are known to cause irritation or pain inside the mouth. Wires scratch the cheeks and lips, patients often need wax on the brackets, or additional visits to remove irritations. Cold sores are also not uncommon when you are wearing traditional braces. On the other hand, with lingual braces, there is no abrasion or pinching. However, lingual braces can cause mild tongue irritation, but with some time, your tongue will adapt to the new appliance in your mouth.
To place lingual braces, your orthodontist needs to have special knowledge on how to correctly place them, and treat various lingual related orthodontic cases. The overall fitting process is totally different from placing traditional ones. It includes 3D digital mapping with special equipment. All patients can be treated with lingual braces, even those with the most severe cases. What is more, lingual braces can provide you with a faster and quicker treatment time, in order to correct your gapped, crooked or misaligned teeth.
It is usually hard to convince kids to wear braces. With other appliances like Invisalign, you never know if your child is determined enough to wear it for the right amount of time. Many Invisalign patients never complete the treatment, as they don’t have the discipline to wear it regularly. As the appliance needs to be removed while drinking or eating, it is not uncommon to get it lost or forgotten, and in that case, result in prolonged or unfinished treatment. In contrast, lingual braces are not removable, so you can be sure that your child is wearing the appliance all the time. Children are more open about wearing lingual braces as they are invisible and no one could even notice that they have the appliance. Moreover, if your kid is active and plays sports, their lips and cheeks are protected from any injury that might be caused by traditional braces.
If you are concerned about your child’s or your own teeth alignment, do not delay orthodontic treatment any longer. Visit us at Ocean View Dental and schedule your consultation with our highly qualified orthodontist Dr. Flora Chen. You can call us: (310) 372-8188.