Faced with the prospect of needing teeth straightening, many individuals wonder how to straighten teeth and can you straighten teeth without braces? Are there other teeth straightening options and what are the best braces alternatives? Is there some way that is the cheapest way to straighten teeth? How to straighten teeth without using braces at all?
Of course all of these questions ultimately stem from a single root and that is some people simply do not want to have to wear braces and because of this they will start to ask the question at the root of all the others, how to make your teeth straighter without braces? The good news is that there are absolute alternatives. One of the most popular alternatives is Invisalign. There are some other methods we will look at in a bit as well.
Straighten teeth without braces
Let’s see what the experts have to say about Invisalign as an option:
Invisalign technology has developed greatly over past few years (Ke Y et al., 2019) thanks to advances in the materials like thinner plastics and advanced computer scanning systems.
There is some controversy on the effectiveness of clear aligners and Invisalign (Ke Y et al., 2019), but most orthodontists agree that Invisalign is a great option for many of their patients and many patients love the freedom it gives them.
Both Invisalign and braces are effective in treating malocclusions (Ke Y et al., 2019), especially now that the system has tools like the Smart Force attachments that give the aligners a little boost in performance.
As one can see, although there are some who wonder how effective clear liners are, it is well regarded and accepted inside the orthodontic community that clear aligners, and Invisalign especially, are great options when it comes to treating certain orthodontic problems. It is a little wonder that the Invisalign treatment is so popular because it comes with a wide variety of benefits that most individuals are not even aware of at first.
Plus, there is a whole branch of dentistry called cosmetic dentistry that can affect the appearance of your smile and change your teeth, sometimes in just one day. Veneers and other treatments can even out teeth of different sizes, and correct crooked teeth without moving them at all. Veneers are a solid alternative for people who lack good bone density in their jaws.
Is There a Way to Straighten teeth without braces Photo by Alexander Krivitskiy from Pexels
Braces alternative
Let’s start with the most well-known benefit of Invisalign, its removability. For people who have a fear of dentists or orthodontic offices, the prospect of having orthodontic braces installed can be a frightening one. The idea of things being physically mounted to your teeth that you cannot take off without professional help can cause some individuals no small amount of concern. However this fear is totally unwarranted when it comes to Invisalign as Invisalign does not affix permanently to the teeth but is instead removable.
And unlike braces that require advanced orthodontic training to be able to install and uninstall, your Invisalign can be put on and taken off by you. This gives you the freedom to wear them when you want to without the feeling of being constrained or requiring significant professional involvement, especially for people who would rather avoid the orthodontic office as much as possible.
Although it is important to remember to make sure that you wear your Invisalign orthodontics for the requisite 22 hours per day minimum. That means it is up to you to put them on and take them off. This does also give you the freedom and power to be able to make choices about your own treatment. This can be a huge empowering feeling for many individuals and when combined with the aesthetic benefits can be a huge morale boost as well.
Teeth straightening options
The aesthetics is one of the major reasons why many individuals are drawn to using the Invisalign system. Because it’s a clear plastic tray, the Invisalign system is easily hidden and not very noticeable. This can be a big self-esteem boost for individuals who are concerned about wearing braces either as an older teen or adults. This is not surprising as many adults have a concern about the youthful look that might accompany them when they wear traditional metal braces, especially the underlying stigma some individuals may feel about wearing them.
How to Make Your Teeth Straighter Without Braces
Wearing Invisalign negates all these issues as Invisalign is nearly totally invisible and most people will never have any idea that you are undergoing orthodontic treatment. Allowing you to have a beautiful smile while still getting your orthodontic treatment and not needing professionals to install and uninstall them are all big reasons why individuals gravitate towards the Invisalign system, especially for those with the responsibility to handle their own orthodontic decisions.
How to make your teeth straighter without braces
The Invisalign system comes with other side benefits that many individuals have simply not even considered and one of the biggest is diet. For some individuals who need to get dental braces, wearing these braces is going to significantly affect how they can eat and what they can eat. These types of braces do not allow for individuals to eat sticky or gummy foods as they might get lodged in the orthodontic equipment and be difficult to remove. It also forbids them from eating hard or crisp foods like popcorn, chips, or foods that require deep bites like corn on the cob or apples.
Many individuals are not even aware that dietary restrictions may be part of their orthodontic future if they were to get traditional braces. However, this problem is negated by utilizing the Invisalign system. With Invisalign, your corrective work can happen and when you need to eat, you can simply take them off.
The cheapest way to straighten teeth
The cheapest way to straighten teeth is to use clear aligners for a few months. They are the least expensive method as they can be used for a short time for some simple corrections. They are also easy to self-maintain without longer orthodontist appointments since you just get new trays every 4-6 weeks.
How to straighten teeth
There are some alternatives to braces and Invisalign to straighten teeth, but this is also a bit of a misnomer. As we mentioned earlier, you can get veneers that will help correct teeth that are crooked, but they are thin slips of porcelain that go over your teeth, so the placement of your teeth in the mouth does not change. Still, they are a great way to get twisted teeth or crooked teeth corrected in just one day.
There are also some appliances your orthodontist may use that are not braces but they still help correct your teeth. Sometimes these tools like palate expanders for kids help widen the palate and give crowded teeth more room.
Other tools like specialized bands can be used to correct crooked teeth, but these techniques should only be done under the guidance of a qualified orthodontist. If you try to branch out on your own, it can end up doing more harm than good.
Teeth straightening
Something else to be aware of are the internet orthodontic correction programs. Some do have you go meet with an orthodontist for your first appointment, but everything else from there is done by internet. The danger is that you will do this treatment without oversight, and that can lead to dental correction that may or may not be the right path. Your best bet is always to seek the advice of an orthodontist and make sure that your dental correction goes as planned.
Summary:
A person’s smile can say a lot about them and can be very impactful in making first impressions. One of the very first things that you see when you meet a person for the first time is their smile, and you also notice if they don’t smile. Most people are aware of this fact, and as such want to be confident with their smile.
When people develop problems with their teeth that prevent them from smiling, they can become self-conscious and seek treatment. One of these treatment options is braces. While braces can help straighten the teeth, a majority of adults prefer treatment that does not impede on their smile, self-confidence, and self-esteem. This is one of the main problems with braces —their high-visibility, which means that if you are wearing braces, you either have to ignore the fact that everybody can see your braces when you smile or opt to avoid smiling for the length of your treatment which can be anywhere from 12 months to 36 months.
Fortunately, braces are not the only treatment option, and Invisalign comes to the rescue.
When Invisalign initially came to the market in 1997, it had some promise, but it was not a strong alternative to braces because it was still extremely limited in its use. However, with the advances in technology, Invisalign is now able to treat more complex cases.
If you choose to go a non-orthodontic route, you can go with some cosmetic dentistry methods that will correct your smile but not actually move the teeth.
Reference:
Ke, Y., Zhu, Y., & Zhu, M. (2019). A comparison of treatment effectiveness between clear aligner and fixed appliance therapies. BMC oral health, 19(1), 24.
