Sometimes we are asked about Instant Braces but sadly we have to advise that there is NO SUCH THING AS INSTANT BRACES. Not in an orthodontic sense, anyway.
"Instant braces" are in all likelihood dental veneers, or something similar. Dental veneers absolutely can be a great way to improve the appearance of your teeth, just see what can be achieved with Dental Veneers, but they don't do what orthodontics does - and that is to naturally straighten your own teeth.
There are very good reasons why orthodontics cannot provide "instant" solutions for straight teeth.
Why it is often better to be the tortoise and not the hare
- To move the tooth through the jaw bone means that the bone in the jaw has to dissolve and regrow around the changing position of the tooth
- This needs to happen slowly so it is less painful
- This needs to happen slowly so that the tooth is not traumatised
- If you traumatise the tooth it can die.
Orthodontics are not scary
- You are never too old for braces - the typical adult can expect 12 - 18 months wearing braces, sometimes as few as 6 months. Now that's not very long when you have another 20, or 30 or 50 years ahead of you!
- It does take a little longer for an adult because your bone no longer has the softness that it does when you have not reached full maturity
- Some ceramic braces are virtually invisible. Have a look at Valerie! Does she look self-conscious to you?
- Invisalign takes "invisible braces one step further. These FAQs will answer your questions
- Gone are the days when treatment means you look like "Jaws" with a mouth full of silver
- Yes, cleaning your teeth IS more time consuming when you wear braces, but not too much so - if you have good habits to begin with. Perhaps it will teach you good habits. You are never too old to wear braces, and never too old to learn to clean your teeth properly!
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Some conditions can only be improved with orthodontics. If you choose to use veneers to 'fix' a problem, perhaps all you are doing is simply hiding it, and then the short term answer could cause long term problems.
Veneers will be beneficial if you would like to improve the shape and colour or your teeth, and if the alignment of your teeth is moderately good or better. However veneers cannot correct significantly misaligned teeth.
If you have a problem with your 'bite' - an overbite or underbite, for example - orthodontics is the only treatment that can correct this. In some cases it will be the combination of BOTH braces AND veneers that will give you the ideal result.
Dr Vic Wong knows how to create that perfect smile with your own teeth. A consultation does not take much time and understanding all your options is important. Instant does not necessarily mean better for you, or more beautiful.