What Is the Fastest Way To Straighten Teeth?

Although having healthy teeth is the true pinnacle of good oral health, many people may feel self-conscious about teeth that are crooked, crowded, or otherwise imperfect. For this reason, there are many teeth straightening options for you to consider to perfect your smile and improve your self-confidence. Learn more about the treatments available at M. Scott Runnels Orthodontics in Destin, FL before you schedule your initial consultation.

What Is the Fastest Way To Straighten Teeth?

In general, the fastest way to straighten your teeth is to use a treatment such as Invisalign. Invisalign has been around for several years and has helped many people straighten teeth much more quickly than compared to traditional braces. As far as teeth straightening options go, Invisalign is an ideal treatment for people who have mild to moderate misalignment, crookedness, or crowded teeth.

Your treatment for Invisalign will usually take about one to two years, or sometimes significantly less time if you only have mild alignment concerns. Comparatively, braces can take up to three years, particularly if you also need to correct the alignment of the jaw with rubber bands, spacers, or even oral surgery.

How Does Invisalign Work?

Invisalign works by gently shifting the teeth using a clear, specially-made aligner tray that is customized for your teeth to improve your alignment over a shorter period of time. The plastic-like material used for Invisalign is very durable and translucent, making it a much more subtle option for your teeth straightening treatment than traditional braces.

How Often Are Your Appointments?

With this treatment, you will usually need to visit the orthodontist much less frequently. For example, the average patient will only need to schedule appointments every 10 to 12 weeks to monitor the progress of the Invisalign treatment. That said, the frequency of your orthodontist appointments will depend on how well you keep up with your treatment plan at home.

How Often Do You Change Aligner Trays?

You will switch to another set of aligner trays every six weeks. Most of the time, your aligner trays will be sent to you in the mail so that you can switch your trays at home by yourself. When you switch trays, it will usually take about 24 hours to adjust to the new aligner. This time frame for switching aligners is ideal since it gives your teeth enough time to acclimate to the gentle shifts in your tooth alignment.

How Often Do You Wear Aligner Trays?

If you want to get the most out of your treatment and complete your Invisalign treatment as quickly as possible, you will need to wear aligner trays for at least 20 to 22 hours a day. This means that you will be sleeping with your clear aligners and that you should wear your aligners throughout the day unless you are eating a meal or drinking a beverage that is not water.

Are There Any Dietary Restrictions?

In general, there are no dietary restrictions about what you can eat and drink when you are using Invisalign clear aligners. As long as you remove the aligners before a meal or before you drink any beverage that isn’t water, you can eat and drink whatever you want.

There are two reasons why you are not allowed to eat and drink while you are wearing clear aligners. The first is that, while the plastic used for your aligner trays is very durable, you can damage the trays if you try to chew food when you’re wearing them. Some foods and beverages may also stain the trays, which can make it obvious that you are wearing clear aligners.

What Is the Best Oral Health for Clear Aligners?

To take care of your oral health when you are wearing clear aligners, it’s best to brush your teeth twice a day, floss at least once a day, and use mouthwash or water rinses between meals or brushing. It’s important that you clean your teeth before replacing any clear aligners so that you can remove any sugar and bacteria that can cause plaque on the teeth.

You also need to take care of your clear liners by brushing them with toothpaste at least once a day. This will also prevent the collection of bacteria in the liners and will help you avoid cavities.

How Do You Know If Braces Are a Better Option?

Although Invisalign can straighten your teeth significantly faster than traditional braces, there may be times when traditional braces are more appropriate for your orthodontic needs. For example, if you have teeth that are significantly crooked, crowded, or misaligned, braces are usually preferable.

People who have overbites and major spaces between the teeth also do better with braces since the amount of tooth shifting is more significant. Braces are a good option if you need to realign the jaw by using rubber bands, oral surgery, or other advanced orthodontic treatments.

How Do Braces Work?

Braces work by installing metal in your mouth that will shift your teeth over a long period. When you have braces, brackets will be glued to the front of your teeth so the brackets can hold wires that will gradually tighten or improve the alignment of your teeth. The wire used for braces will be replaced occasionally as your teeth respond to the treatment.

How Often Do You Need To Visit Your Orthodontist?

When you are using traditional braces as your teeth straightening treatment, you will usually need to visit your orthodontist every six to eight weeks. During these checkup appointments, your orthodontist will check on the progress of your braces, clean around brackets, replace rubber bands, and more.

Are There Any Food and Drink Restrictions?

When you have braces, there are significant food and drink restrictions that you will have to follow all the time because you will be wearing your traditional braces 24/7. For example, you cannot have gum, hard candy, popcorn, red drinks, and many other foods while you have braces to reduce the risk of popping rubber bands, damaging brackets, or causing other problems to the wire of your braces.

How Can You Take Care of Your Braces?

Taking care of your braces is a bit more complicated than using clear aligners. For your braces, you will need to brush twice a day and make sure to pay careful attention to brushing around your brackets so that you can remove all food, plaque, and bacteria throughout the day. It’s also difficult to floss when you are wearing braces, so you may need to explore the use of a Waterpik to remove food particles and plaque from between the teeth.

Can You Speed Up Your Treatment Process?

If you want to explore the fastest teeth straightening options, there is one way you may be able to speed up your orthodontic treatment. A treatment such as PROPEL uses cutting-edge technology that has been clinically proven to reduce the time of your orthodontic treatment by about half. This is because PROPEL uses advanced energy to stimulate the movement of the teeth with bone remodeling.

Essentially, this treatment works by using a specialized procedure to stimulate the production of bone in the upper and lower jaws. During this treatment, an inflammatory response will be triggered to increase blood flow and stimulate bone growth which will speed up the shifting of your teeth.

Are You a Good Candidate for PROPEL?

If you are a candidate for Invisalign or traditional braces, you are usually a good candidate for PROPEL treatments. This treatment is safe, non-invasive, and can generally be used to speed up the shifting of teeth with mild, moderate, or severe dental misalignment.

Do You Use Other Teeth Straightening Treatments With PROPEL?

Usually, you will use PROPEL treatments while you are using braces or clear aligners. It’s essential that you are already undergoing orthodontic care so that the bone growth stimulation from PROPEL will shift your teeth in the ideal alignment. Most of the time, you will have PROPEL treatments during your checkup appointments with your orthodontist.

Learn More About Your Teeth Straightening Options

There are two main teeth straightening options you can consider to improve crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth. However, if you want to speed up the Invisalign or traditional braces treatment process, you may want to add PROPEL to your treatment plan to cut your treatment timeline in half. Contact M. Scott Runnels Orthodontics in Destin, FL to schedule your initial appointment today.