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At Crofts Dental Practice, part of our job is to make treatments like orthodontics in Essex accessible to as many people as possible. Sometimes this means removing the mental barriers that people have placed between themselves and the procedure that they want.

Many misconceptions surround teeth straightening treatments. This is because methods of realignment have developed a lot in the past few decades but people’s ideas around the possibilities have not yet completely caught up. A visit to Crofts Dental Practice can help you to see how well your teeth straightening can integrate into your life. Some of the common issues that we deal with are addressed below but, for specific guidance, you can contact us at the practice.

A minor adjustment

For some people, the barrier to a realignment is that they think their issue is too small even though it’s still significant enough to bother them. They don’t want to be subject to fixed treatment for their issue. If this is you, you might be able to benefit from treatment with the Inman Aligner. This is a low-profile, removeable method that just gives the teeth a small nudge in the right direction to get them all lined up properly.

Impressions matter

For some people, the impression they make is key to their professional or personal life. They don’t want to disrupt their look with braces, but they also know that straighter teeth would improve their appearance in the long-term. For these people, Invisalign might be an option that they can take advantage of. As the aligners used in this method are completely clear and fit close to the teeth, they are practically invisible.

Short on time

The idea that all teeth straightening treatments must take a long time to complete is no longer a valid one. Methods like Six Month Smiles can offer you the results you want in roughly 24 weeks. Sometimes it takes a bit longer or it can take a little less time, but this is the average among patients who choose this method. If you are eligible for this kind of treatment, you could use it to get your smile ready for a special occasion or holiday.

The thing about teeth is that not very many of us are born with a beautiful set of pearly whites that line up side by side to produce a lovely broad grin. Quite a few of us have teeth that are crowded, or protruding, or overlapping.

And the thing with teeth like that is they make wonderful hidey holes for the bacteria that form plaque. These bacteria live in our mouths and love nothing more than to hide away in the crevices and crannies created by wonky teeth, from where they are incredibly difficult to remove with brushing.

Left to their own devices, these bacteria multiply and the sticky plaque hardens into tartar, and gives off acid that erodes our tooth enamel to cause decay, and irritate our gums to cause gum disease. Both decay and gum disease can lead to losing our teeth.

Let’s get things straight

Long story short, wonky teeth don’t last as long as straight teeth. And in an age when it’s perfectly possible to hang on to your own teeth until you die, one way to ensure you go to your grave with your own set of pearly whites is to get them straightened with orthodontics. Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry concerned with aligning the teeth and jaws so that they fit together well and the pressure from chewing is even distributed.

When the pressure is uneven, the teeth that take the brunt of the chewing forces, which can be around 97kg or 200lbs in the average male, tend to wear out faster, and can crumble. An uneven bite can also cause jaw problems, headaches and neckaches.

Orthodontics deals with these issues as well as more moderate tooth realignment issues.

The heavy-duty realignment can often be done on the NHS for children, while the jaw is still growing and therefore malleable.

But even though this becomes impossible after the age of 18, when the bones set, moving the teeth is possible no matter how old you are.

Mild realignments often take less time and can be done with smaller, more discreet, even almost invisible braces. Come in and see what we can do to help you keep your teeth for life.

Dentistry has come a long way in the last few decades. There was a time when the ideal 21^st birthday present was to have all your teeth removed and replaced with dentures. Teeth were not for life, but false ones were.

Things have changed so much since then that for the first time ever it is possible to hang on to all your teeth until you die, by taking good care of them with preventative dentistry.

At Crofts Dental Practice in Essex, our aim is to have all our patients hang on to their natural teeth for as long as possible. And the best way to do this is make them easy to keep clean, and then to keep them free from plaque.

Plaque is the big issue when it comes to teeth. This sticky film that seems to appear from nowhere on our teeth is millions of harmless bacteria. They colonise the surface of our teeth, getting into nooks and crannies and around the gum line, even under it. The bacteria may be harmless, but the plaque builds up and as it becomes thicker, the bacteria nearest the teeth and gums feed on sugars in the mouth, and release acids. It’s these acids that cause the damage, eroding the enamel and getting into the dentine to cause decay and possibly infection. They also irritate the gums to cause gum disease, which can attack the bone under the gum and eventually cause teeth to fall out.

Preventative dentistry: benefits for children and adults

The check-up plays a vital role in preventing decay and disease. By coming to us every six months for a check-up and scale and polish, you let us spot the signs of issues that you won’t become aware of until they start hurting, and by then, they are already quite advanced. If we can spot early signs of decay or disease, it means the difference possibly between a tiny filling and a crown, or maybe an abscess and root canal treatment. With children, we can prevent filling with fluoride treatments and sealing fissure on the back teeth.

In recent years, many adults have been turning to orthodontics for straightening their teeth and improving their smile. There are a number of reasons for this  – they may have had not access to teeth straightening treatment when they were young, or their teeth started to shift later on in life.

Whatever the reason, never before have there been so many teeth straightening treatments available. This is particularly important for image-conscious adults who are reluctant to wear traditional braces due to aesthetic concerns. With advancements in orthodontics, you have many options that will fit in with your current lifestyle. Our experienced dentists at Crofts Dental Practice in Essex, will help you decide which one is best for you.

Invisalign

Invisalign is an innovative treatment that helps straighten your teeth without metal brackets and wires. Instead, it used a series of transparent, plastic, removable aligners that help move your teeth into their right position over a specific period of time. Invisalign aligners are custom-made with the aid of 3D technology that helps your dentist predict tooth movements and monitor your overall progress. Throughout the treatment, you will go through a series of removable aligners that have to be changed every two weeks or so. Since they are made of smooth plastic, the aligners are comfortable to wear and fit snugly over your teeth and gums, allowing you to eat your favourite foods and clean your teeth as you normally would.

Lingual braces

Lingual braces are just like metal braces, except that they are installed on the back side of the teeth, opposite the tongue. This way they are not visible when you smile. Lingual braces are made of high-quality titanium wires and brackets which are custom-made to fit each individual teeth. They are very discreet and they can fix a number of different orthodontic problems including complex issues.

Six Month Smiles

As their name suggests, treatment with Six Month Smiles braces last only six months. Unlike regular braces, Six Month Smiles braces use tooth-coloured, fixed nickel titanium wires, which move the front teeth quickly and safely. They are ideal for people who want to straighten their teeth in preparation for a special occasion.