Common Questions Asked of a Braces Dentist

People want to know many things about braces. As a braces dentist, we understand that the changing nature of braces can be a little challenging for people, especially considering that braces are no longer a taboo thing for adults. As such, we know that when people are curious about braces, it is because they are firmly considering getting some work done by a braces dentist.

Our advice is always this: If you want straighter teeth, there is no system that has been proven more effective over the long term than braces. With new technology and innovation, there is no reason why you should not have a perfect set of straight teeth this year. 82nd St. Dental can achieve that for you.

But are not braces only for children?

While children were once possibly the main demographic of patients, that fact has changed. With the advances in technology and even more importantly, the advances in thinking, people are realizing that they can go see a braces dentist at any time and at any age.

As a result, many of our patients are the parents of kids, not the kids themselves. More and more people are realizing that a year or two with braces, followed by a lifetime of perfectly straight teeth is definitely worth the few months of strangeness. In addition, 82nd St. Dental will make it as pleasant as possible.

How long do braces take to straighten the teeth?

This depends on the problem and the amount of malocclusion we are correcting. What you need to understand is that the technology has vastly improved. For some patients, we may even have them come back with a completely straight set of teeth on the first recall visit. For others, the time may be as short as six months.

Typically, this kind of teeth straightening takes a year. When you consider how many years you have already lived with crooked teeth and consider the rest of your life, three or six or even 12 months is a blink in time to have perfectly straight teeth.

I had braces, my teeth just moved out of place

The challenge is not the braces. The challenge is taking the time to explain why it is so important to follow a retainer routine after your teeth have been straightened by your braces dentist. The braces, installed by your braces dentist, will pull the teeth into the new alignment. While the process is gradual, it works against the natural instinct of your teeth.

Once you complete the process, your teeth have a new home. While the teeth are in the proper placement, there is a natural movement that could take them back to the original spot. To prevent this, we give you a retainer after the braces treatment is over. The retainer works during sleeping hours to ensure that there is a slight pressure on the teeth, keeping them in the properly aligned position that you and your braces dentist want.