If your teen needs braces, chances are he or she isn’t all too thrilled about it! Fortunately, Orthodontics has come a long way in recent years, and there are many low profile, convenient, and practically invisible options to choose from.
Having braces no longer means your teenager has to live with a mouth full of metal for several years. The following are just a few of the alternatives to traditional braces available to teens these days:
Lingual Braces
Lingual Braces are fitted onto the ‘back’ sides of the teeth; that is, the side facing into the mouth, toward the tongue. This means that no one needs to know your teen is wearing braces, unless he or she chooses to show them.
Invisalign
Invisalign makes clear, custom plastic aligners that straighten teeth just like traditional braces do. The difference is, they’re virtually invisible when worn, since they’re completely transparent.
Another benefit to these aligners is that while they must be worn almost full time, they can be removed to eat, and to brush and floss teeth. This means that there are no dietary restrictions associated with Invisalign, and your teen can also maintain his or her normal oral hygiene routine.
In-Ovation Precision Mini Metallic Braces
In-Ovation system braces are smaller and lower profiles than traditional braces, but their biggest benefit is that they are ‘self-ligating’, meaning they render unsightly elastics and ties unnecessary. And of course, this also eliminates the need to have the braces regularly tightened.
‘Translucent’ Ceramic Braces
Translucent ceramic braces have brackets that are made out of a strong, durable ceramic material in a colour that closely matches the natural colour of the teeth. This means they blend in, giving them a much less obvious appearance than regular braces.