Home >> Services >> Orthodontics >> Teeth Straightening
Teeth Straightening

Teeth can be straightened using either orthodontics or porcelain veneers or a combination of both.

Orthodontic options to straighten teeth:

Inman aligner: The Inman aligner is the fastest way to straigthen teeth with a removable appliance. It is excellent for aligning mainly just crowding of the front four teeth. For adults this the most common form of crowding so it can be used in many different cases. Treatment times typically take from 6 to 16 weeks.

Invisalign: Invisalign use a very high-tech manufacturing process to make a series of removable clear plastic aligners which makes them almost invisible. Invisalign can straighten teeth over a slightly broader range of cases than the Inman aligner but still cannot be used for severe crowding. Invisalign has the added advantage of having little effect on speech. However, treatment times are typically from 6 to 18 months.

Lingual braces: These are like conventional fixed braces except the brackets are bonded to the inside of the teeth so they are invisible to others. Lingual braces can be used to straighten teeth from almost all case types. Treatment times vary depending on case type typically from 6 to 24 months.

                         Inman Aligner: Treatment took just 7 weeks with an Inman Aligner

Porcelain veneers to straighten teeth:

Teeth can be straightened using porcelain veneers as part of a smile makeover. Porcelain veneers are a thin layer of porcelain that are a new front surface for a tooth. Teeth are prepared by trimming a thin layer from the enamel on the front of the tooth, just enough to make space for the veneer. If teeth are crowded, some teeth or parts of teeth protrude more than others. To straighten the teeth, more is trimmed back from those areas that protrude so that when the veneers are placed on these teeth it will have the appearance of having straightened them.

The advantage of this approach is that it is very quick with treatments being completed in as little as 2 weeks. Many other aesthetic improvements can be made at the same time such as changing the length, the overall shape and whitening the teeth. The smile can be designed and tailored using computer aided smile design and a process is used which creates very predictable and beautiful results.

The disadvantage of this approach is that very crowded or protruding teeth may need significant amounts of their tooth structure to be trimmed back.

                         Teeth Straightening: Teeth were aligned using Porcelain Veneers

Combination treatments to straighten teeth

Teeth can be quickly straightened using an Inman aligner prior to further cosmetic treatment such as a smile makeover with porcelain veneers. If the teeth are heavily worn and discoloured but also crowded this is an excellent way to achieve the very best aesthetic results, whilst maintaining a very conservative approach. This means even severe cases can be treated without the heavy trimming back of teeth that would be required if the case was attempted with veneers alone.

                         Teeth Straightening: Teeth can be aligned with an Inman Aligner before Porcelain Veneers for an approach that is kind to teeth

Teeth Straightening :
After
Before
Teeth Straightening :
After
Before