alkali guide to straight teeth

8/8/2019 Alkali Guide to Straight Teeth

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The Alkali guide to straighterteethBy Dr Aalok Y Shukla BDS(lon) Clinical Director


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1. Self Assessment : Which braces for me ? How long will I have to keep them for ?

2. Why are my teeth crooked ?

3. How do braces straighten my teeth ?

4. The different types of braces available.

5. Other treatments that can improve your smile.

6. How should I look after my new smile ?

7. Why Alkali ?


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Both lower or upper front 4 teethneed straightening

The teeth are very crooked &twisted

An accelerated removable brace would be the fastest wayto treat this (8 to 20 weeks)

An invisible brace can also be used for these treatments in

most cases but could take longer depending on the toothposition (5-6months for simple cases)!

Generally a clear fixed brace is best here as there is totalcontrol of movement of all teeth thus allowing even verycrowded cases to be treated quickly & effectively in most

cases 4 -8 months. Average time = 6 months.

Only the lower or upper front 4teeth need straightening

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Self assessment : Which braces for me ? How long will I have to keep them for ?


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Why are my teeth crooked ?

There is naturally a balance of forces in your mouth, the tongue pushes forwards & the lip muscles pull backwards.

Then there is also a limited space in your mouth, which is determined by your jaw size. This means when your teeth

are coming up out of the gums, they are guided by

the space available & the forces acting on them.

These forces keep acting throughout life so when teeth

have been straightened, they have to be held there.

Did you know the ancient Egyptians used to

straighten their teeth by pressing the out of

place tooth with their finger for 16 hours a day ?

The tooth will respond to a gradual continuous

pressure no matter where it's from.

!

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How do braces straighten my teeth ?

* Expansion - with accelerated braces & fixed braces. It is where the teeth can be encouraged to spread out in the jaw a little, thuscreating some space.* IPR (interproximal reduction) - when small amounts of enamel are smoothed away in order to gain space. Each tooth has around1.5mm of enamel all the way around it, up to 0.4mm can be removed from specific points safely with no risk to the tooth, there havebeen innumerable studies demonstrating this. When this is done on several teeth the result is the accumulation of space, and whencombined with expansion there is a synergistic benefit.* Extractions - this is the traditional way, when the crowding is severe, then one or more teeth may need to be removed in order toallow the smile to be straightened.

How long does it take ?

Front teeth can be moved safely & effectively in as little as 8 weeks with typical times being 4-7 months for straightening out a smile(not moving molar teeth).

How does it feel ?

It feels tight and possibly a little sore for the first 2 weeks. Some people take some ibuprofen, but most people dont need to takeanything. Then the teeth become a little bit loose, which allows the movement to take place.


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The different types of braces

Clear fixed braces

Clear fixed braces are a great way to solve the more complex crowded smiles as the teeth can be moved in all dimensions, they allow much morecontrol & finishing by the dentist. They are quite discreet and dont impact speech. Brands such as Damon clear, and Six month smiles are this type.

How does it look ?

There are small clear squares attached to the teeth, the teeth need to be brushed as normal, and you can use superfloss to floss the teeth intimately.Additionally items such as the waterpik waterflosser are good for maintaining dental hygiene.You may also have some biteguards placed on back teeth, these are to prevent your back teeth knocking brackets off & to accelerate the treatment.

8 weeks


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16 weeks

Accelerated removable braces

Accelerated braces such as the Inman aligner are fantastic for solving minor alignment issues of the front four teeth. They work onupper & lower teeth well, and need to be worn about 16-18 hours a day for the best results. They do affect speech a little, with thebottom ones there is much more adaption. They need to be taken out for eating and they can be removed for social occasions.

How does it look ?Frequently we place small squares on 2 teeth to allow the accelerated brace to clip in, these are tooth coloured and are barelynoticeable, and your bite may temporarily feel different


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Invisible bracesInvisible braces are very popular nowadays largely through the marketing efforts of Invisalign who have done a lot to raiseawareness. They were first developed by 2 business students, one who had worn braces but had not worn their retainer for a whileand then noticed his teeth had started to move back, he took some painkillers and jammed in his old retainer (not entirelyadvisable!) and he noticed that the teeth moved back into position, this led the pair to see if larger tooth movements could bedone by sequential aligners, this led to Invisalign. Invisible aligners had been used for many years in dentistry, but Invisaligndeveloped the technology further.

Invisalign is simply a brand though, and many different companies such as Clearstep & Simpli5 manufacture invisible braces. Theyare great for minor tooth movements, and can be used well in more complex cases, however they are not the most efficient choicefor certain tooth movements such as rotations and moving teeth up and down. In those instances it takes longer than other methodsto straighten the teeth & it would generally cost much more (owing to the manufacturing costs of making more aligners).

How does it look ?

Frequently we place small squares on some teethto allow the invisible brace to grip the teeth for specific movements


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Lingual braces

These are fixed braces that are on the back of the teeth.They are therefore invisible and have the advantage of 3D control as well.

They are significantly more expensive than other orthodontic options owing

to the specialised brackets & training needed. Speech is affected and eating

can be a little difficult initially but everyone adapts well.


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Other treatments that can improve your smile.

Teeth whitening - to brighten the teeth.

AER bonding (artificial enamel replacement bonding) - to fix chipped edges

Cosmetic gum treatment - to reshape the uneven gum levels

AER bonding & teeth whitening


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Why alkali ?

With health inside & beauty outside your confidence can be unleashed.

Traditional dentistry & healthcare is based on the reparative model, when something is broken it is thenrepaired. Traditional cosmetic treatments are aimed at creating a false perfection, in many cases the

treatments provided are quite harmful & can weaken the teeth & facial structures.Alkali Aesthetics & Wellbeing is the next generation of dental care & skin aesthetics. Alkali is dedicated toproviding state of the art preventive dentistry. We are experts in conservative smile & facial enhancement-through our innovative & tooth friendly whitening, straightening & strengthening treatments. We alsoprovide minimally invasive skin rejuvenation treatments which can add the finishing touches to your moreconfident look.


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Our straight smiler package* Straight teeth consultation to learn about all your options (Exam and Xrays) 50

* Discrete and invisible teeth braces to solve all problems 1850

* Artificial Enamel Replacement of the worn edges of your front teeth included (AER bonding) 700

* Professional jet wash cleaning while getting your teeth straightened 240

* Teeth whitening 250* 12 months after care (Includes a complete dental exam & 2 professional teeth cleaning appointments) 196.50

* Fixed & removable retainers fully guaranteed for 12 months 650

* Straight teeth in 6 months or your money back guarantee

* 0 % Interest payment & flexible monthly payments

TOTAL : 3936.5

SPECIAL OFFER FOR THIS GUIDE : 1850

Alkali Aesthetics & Wellbeing

0208 788 8588

226a Upper Richmond Road, Putney, London

alkaliaesthetics.co.uk

[email protected]

alkali guide to straight teeth

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