Our patients always look forward to the day that their braces are removed, and they are free to enjoy their beautiful new smiles. In fact, lots of folks ask us when their braces will be coming off before the braces even go on! We tell them that the length of time you have your braces on depends upon a number of factors. These include:
- The Type of Correction Is Required. Everyone is different, and each correction is dependent upon every other correction, so overall treatment is decided by your orthodontist after considering everything that must be done to give you a healthy smile. Overbites, crossbites, gapped teeth, and crowded teeth often don’t appear by themselves; instead, several issues are usually seen together. Additionally, the size of your jaw will also determine the length of treatment.
- If You’ve Started Two-Phase Treatment. If your child underwent the first phase of Two-Phase Treatment as a younger child, now has all of his or her adult teeth, and is around 13 years old, their treatment completion may not be as long. Even though Phase Two of the Two-Phase Treatment usually requires both upper and lower braces, the prior work that was done in Phase One has essentially “prepped” the mouth, jaw, and teeth for Phase Two.
- If Prior Treatment Was Completed. Some adults who are interested in correcting their bite may have already had orthodontic treatment as a teen. In this case, if they properly finished treatment and then their teeth shifted in adulthood (usually because they don’t wear their retainer at night), it’s likely that their current treatment won’t take too long. However, if they discontinued treatment with braces at an early stage, then it will take a longer time to complete the process.
Benefits of Invisalign
Invisalign is an alternative to traditional braces. As long as you continue your treatment and change your aligners every two weeks as it’s required, you should be able to know exactly when your treatment will be over. That’s because the Invisalign system takes the x-rays and images that your orthodontist sends and creates a complete treatment plan, showing you how your teeth will look at certain times throughout the process, including what they will look like when everything’s completed.
Getting your braces off is an exciting time for our patients! As long as you are careful with your braces, eat safe foods, and attend your checkups as they are scheduled, you’ll be enjoying your new smile in no time! Pittsburgh orthodontist Drs. King and Babb are happy to help you achieve your best smile at their North Hills and downtown offices. Call them today.
Dr. Bryan King earned his DMD from The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and holds his Master of Dental Science in Periodontics from The University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Bryan has also completed an Orthodontic residency at St Barnabas Hospital in The Bronx, New York. Dr Bryan has received many honors as a practicing orthodontist including, being named a Diplomate of the American Board ofOrthodontics and being named a “Top Dentist” by Pittsburgh Magazine for several years running. He also earned the Lifetime achievement award given by Align Technologies in 2014 for his work with Invisalign.
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