I Want Straight Teeth: What Are My Options?

A beautiful smile does more than cheer you up when you gaze in the mirror while brushing your teeth. It can cheer up everyone you meet. A straight, white smile conveys confidence and health that helps you make a good first impression at school, work, and in social situations.

Crooked or misaligned teeth can do more than interfere with your confidence and alter how others perceive you. Bite misalignments put stress on your jaw, increasing your risk for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder and other complications. 

Whether your dentist has recommended that you straighten your teeth for functional reasons or you want to improve the look of your smile, you have more than one option to achieve your goal. Depending on your situation, you can benefit from traditional wire-and-bracket braces, Invisalign® clear aligner trays, or dental veneers.

Our expert dentist Nisha Modi, DMD, at Miracle Smile Dental in Aubrey, Texas, offers all three tooth-straightening systems. She and our entire team want to ensure you choose the right one for you or your child.

How should you straighten your teeth if you have the following issues?

• Overbite
• Underbite
• Crossbite
• Open bite
• Crowded teeth
• Gapped teeth
• Twisted teeth

Following is a brief explanation of various methods’ pros and cons, which can help you make a choice.

Wire-and-bracket braces

Braces go hand-in-hand with adolescence, but you can get traditional wire-and-bracket braces at any age to correct a misalignment. Braces take a little longer to work than aligner trays, but they may be the best choice if you have a complex case.

Children and adolescents who are forgetful might also do best with braces. Invisalign is best for teens and adults who are unlikely to lose the trays, will wear them consistently, and remember to change them on schedule.

If you’re considering wire-and-bracket braces but don’t want to have a mouthful of metal, we can help you there, too. We may use ceramic brackets with clear wires to help your braces look more discreet and attract less attention.

Invisalign clear aligner trays

Invisalign is an ideal choice for adults and responsible teens who can handle the responsibility of changing trays on time, wearing the trays for 22 hours a day, and cleaning them, too. They’re also the best choice for professionals who want discretion in their tooth-straightening system.

Invisalign moves your teeth gradually with a series of nearly invisible custom-fit plastic trays that fit over your teeth. If you have a more complicated alignment case, such as severely twisted or crowded teeth, your dentist may recommend SmartForce® attachments in addition to the trays.

Invisalign can also be much faster than traditional braces. Easy cases may only take six months. Even complex cases rarely take much more than a year. You must wear Vivera® retainers for one year and then for life at night to maintain your results. 

Dental veneers

Dental veneers are tooth-shaped caps cemented directly onto your natural teeth once they’ve been prepared to accept them. Dental veneers consist of porcelain or other durable materials that resist stains.

Veneers can’t correct your bite, so they’re not appropriate in all cases. If your teeth are slightly crooked, gapped, or crowded rather than misaligned, you may benefit from veneers.

Veneers are a nearly instant solution for crooked teeth and can also improve the color and shape of your teeth. Most celebrities’ brilliant smiles are due to veneers. 

Another bonus for veneers is that they’re stain resistant. You won’t have to ever undergo a professional whitening treatment if you opt for veneers. 

We help you choose the tooth-straightening system right for you and your teeth. Call our team at 469-765-3567 for braces, Invisalign, or dental veneers. Or, if you prefer, use our convenient online scheduling tool today.