My name is Emma and I am past patient of Straight Teeth Suite in Nottingham. A year on and it seems like a distant memory.  I look in the mirror, and I can’t remember not having straight teeth as my lovely new smile is reflected back at me. My straight teeth have changed my life in so many ways thanks to the team at Straight Teeth Suite.

For those of you wearing lingual braces you know already it is a journey and for those of you just about to have your lingual braces fitted let me tell you all about them and the different stages you will go through.  Love or hate your braces, you will not regret straightening your teeth for one minute. The future is great.

It has been a whole year since I had my lingual braces taken off and for one year I’ve been enjoying my new smile. I haven’t looked back since having my braces removed. I have to admit that I do feel quite surprised about the difference being able to smile freely has made to my self-confidence. Before my treatment, I was aware that I hid my smile, but I only now realise how much I really held myself back. It sounds like an overstatement, but it’s actually really liberating to go from introvert to extrovert and to smile and laugh in social situations without a second thought.

Of course, I smiled before I had braces but I would hide, putting my hand over my mouth, trying to disguise my embarrassment and my crooked teeth.  But once my lingual braces were fitted I didn’t mind so much as I knew I was well on the way to my beautiful new smile.  Lingual braces, for the readers who are new to braces, are attached to the inside surfaces of the teeth that face the tongue. On the reverse side of the teeth, they are practically invisible from the outside, even up-close and even if I laughed uncontrollably with my mouth wide open I didn’t feel the humiliation I felt before.  And now my braces have been removed I laugh, pull faces and wear lipstick; bright red lipstick to show off my new smile.  What fun; my worst feature has become my best friend and I feel liberated and carefree.

Although I knew in advance, once my braces treatment was completed I would be fitted with retainers, it seemed so far in the future I didn’t give it a second thought.  And now, a year on I hardly give my retainers a second thought.  When my braces were removed a very thin wire was temporarily fixed behind my front teeth, top and bottom, to keep them in their new position. They were almost completely covered with white dental cement so they were not sharp or uncomfortable and they were concealed. However, moulds were made of my new smile and a few weeks later I received new retainers that look like clear aligners.   Initially,  I wore the retainers every night for two months, and I now wear them for just two nights a week. It’s actually not too bad as the retainers fit well, and I know my teeth will stay where they should be. The idea is that the fixed retainers keep my front teeth permanently in place, and the removable one maintains the back teeth.

I always thought the saying “Smile and the world smiles with you,’ to be a bit of a cliché.  But it’s true.  My new smile is infectious, and everyone likes to see a happy face.  I never knew what it was like to feel so good about myself and confidence is bursting out of me.

Now my teeth are correctly aligned; I can chew properly.  Food tastes better, and I can eat everything I want to.  A whole year down the line, I tuck into crusty bread and crisp apples with abandon forgetting what the denial was like when I wore my lingual braces.  It was well worth the wait as food tastes so much better with straight teeth.

I don’t really remember the pain or discomfort.  It has faded into the recesses of my memory, and I actually don’t think it was ever too bad; it was certainly never unbearable. If I did have a few bad days, I certainly know now it was well worth it and wouldn’t want anyone embarking on lingual braces to be put off.  My smile is amazing, and I would do it again, only I won’t have to!

If like Emma’s story and  you think straighter teeth could change your life book a  free consultation at Straight Teeth Suite in Nottingham for lingual braces HERE.

There are several reasons why people decide not to have their teeth straightened with braces. At the Straight Teeth Suite in Nottingham we’ve seen most of them. Some people think they are just too old for braces. Others are worried about the cost. Many also think that having your teeth straightened is such a lengthy process that it is not worth the effort.

The good news is that the technology we use to fit braces has changed significantly over the last 10 to 15 years, which means a better smile can be achieved within 3 to 9 months. Obviously this is going to depend on the condition of your teeth, but if you visit the Straight Teeth Suite in Nottingham we’ll give you a full, free consultation to make sure that you know what the future holds.

How Can Lingual Braces Help?

If you are between the ages of 20 and 50 you might have thought that braces were not an option for you. Do you really want to go to work with a mouthful of clunky metal, even if it is for the cause of a better smile? Do you want to suffer difficulty in eating and have to clean your braces whilst waiting for your teeth to move into place? And do you really want to spend money on something that might not work anyway?

Times have certainly changed. Lingual braces are designed to be unobtrusive, which means you can smile at work and no one will notice anything different. They’re also much easier to clean than old-fashioned braces, and you shouldn’t have much difficulty in eating either. Finally, the cost can be spread over a period of up to five years, so it won’t have such an immediate impact on your all-important bank balance.

Lingual braces will achieve results quickly, and can be fitted to both upper and lower teeth. They are ideal if you have a gap between teeth that you want to close, or teeth that you want to bring into alignment, and past patients have certainly been impressed with the results.

The use of these self-ligating braces means that we can achieve faster and more accurate results. So if you have a big event coming up in the future (perhaps a wedding or graduation) that you want to feel extra confident for, then we can work towards it and ensure your teeth have been corrected by that date. The braces stay in your mouth 24/7, which means they are always working on your teeth, achieving great results in a matter of months rather than years, as is the case for standard wire braces.

The way it works is that patients keep the braces in until they have done their job, and then put in a retainer at night to make sure their teeth don’t begin to move back to their original positions. Of course, how long a particular brace treatment takes will depend on the condition of the patient’s teeth, which is why we undertake a full assessment at the outset.

At the Straight Teeth Suite in Nottingham we’ve seen countless smiles transformed in our time and we pride ourselves in bringing the right degree of patient care and orthodontic know-how to the table, all at an affordable price. If you would like a free consultation, during which you can ask all the questions you want, then contact us today to make an appointment.

Of all the popular treatments that are available for straightening teeth, the most popular is undoubtedly lingual braces. Here at the Straight Teeth Suite we are able to provide professional care in Nottingham at competitive rates, but it is important that you are aware of the finer details of the procedure before you proceed.

In part 3 of this blog series, one of our dentists will run through everything you need to know to decide whether you feel the process is right for you.

Am I suitable for lingual braces?

As we touched on in our previous blog, it really does depend on the individual. The whole purpose of the consultation appointment is to take a closer look at your teeth and your bite, and from there we are able to advise whether or not you are a good candidate.

I’m currently wearing braces. Can I make the switch to lingual braces?

The short answer is yes, you could. Again, it depends on what stage of your treatment you are in and what you and your current dentist are trying to achieve. Realistically, we need to see your teeth to be able to answer this question properly and provide you with the information you need. Of course, it is possible we will be able to offer the treatment to you; however, there may be an additional charge in order to do so.

How often do I see my dentist once I begin my treatment?

With lingual braces, we tend to see you every six to eight weeks. As we move closer to the end of the treatment the visits may become more frequent.

Is the treatment painful?

As you can imagine, this is one of the most common questions we get asked! As with any dental brace, it may be slightly painful at points. For example, on the front of the teeth you get a lot of rubbing on the cheeks and the lips, whereas with a lingual brace you get this on your tongue. As your tongue is quite sensitive, this can obviously become quite sore.

It’s important to prepare yourself for things like this, in order to minimise the discomfort. Your dentist at the Straight Teeth Suite will give you some wax to use, as well as a mouthguard to wear while you sleep, to protect your tongue further. If you’ve had teeth moved, you may also experience tenderness around the affected area, but this is all completely normal and does improve over time.

What will I look like with the appliances in?

This is a simple one – you’ll look exactly the same as you do without them in. Many people worry about the damaging effect that lingual braces might have on their appearance when they are out and about in Leicester, but you needn’t worry about any severe changes occurring while the treatment is in place.

One thing you may experience, however, is a short period where your teeth may begin to look worse than they did at the start of the treatment. Usually this is hidden by the braces when they are at the front, so you can’t see it as much, but when the teeth are moving at the back you can go through that much-maligned ‘ugly duckling’ stage. Don’t panic, though, this is to be expected as part of the treatment plan – it means you’re progressing and, as we said, it won’t last for long.

How much of the time will I need to wear my product?

A fixed brace will be in all the time, so you don’t need to worry about forgetting to put it in or take it out. Some people are initially put off by this, but lingual braces are actually the more practical option in the long run.

Are there any other additions to the treatment?

It’s important to remember that even when a case has finished, our staff may need to pull clear liners to be worn in order to complete it fully. This is simply to achieve that final finish with ease. It’s not always needed, but it’s worth keeping in mind beforehand, just so that you’re not taken by surprise come the end of the treatment cycle.

Will I need headgear?

So far, we have never offered headgear to a patient. It has not been needed and it is likely that this will remain the case as we move into the future.

How are you going to prevent my teeth from shifting again?

Regardless of what kind of braces you have, you’ll need to have retainers for the rest of your life in order to keep them straight. Without retainers, your teeth will simply move back. What we tend to provide is a combination of fixed and removable retainers, which will be all you’ll need for as long as you have your retainers.

Do lingual braces damage the teeth, roots or gums?

No – there are two very rare complications with braces, but these apply to all types of braces. One is that the nerve of the tooth can die, but this is typically linked to some form of trauma, such as falling over, being hit in the face by a ball or something similar) Incidents such as these damage the nerve, and you may end up needing root canal treatment. It is likely that you may become a bit more sensitive to trauma with braces.

The other unlikely complication is that the root of the tooth can become shorter. This is called recession, and again, is very rare. This depends on the thickness of your gums, but again keep it in mind during your decision-making process. This tends to be linked to very complex treatments, when complicated movements need to be achieved, and these take quite a long time – very unlikely, but you should be made aware of this nonetheless.

Can people still see traces of the braces on my teeth after treatment?

The traces are rarely obvious, especially if they are on the back of your teeth. Some people may notice white marks on their teeth, but this is usually due to consuming a lot of sweets and fizzy drinks, things that make your enamel really thin. If your diet and hygiene are good, you shouldn’t have any problems whatsoever.

When should I start seeing results?

And so it comes full circle with our answers for this blog – it all depends on the patient. The complexity levels of each case will determine the speed of the process. One patient treated by the Straight Teeth Suite was so responsive that within three or four months their teeth had almost completely transformed. For all parties involved, it was a fantastic experience and did much to highlight the true benefits of lingual braces and the services offered by teeth straightening professionals.

Of course, we can only cover the basics in these FAQ guides. The best way to discover which path of treatment is right for you is by arranging a FREE consultation. To read the next article of the Your Guide To Lingual Braces series, part 4, click HERE