If you find yourself wanting to know the options for dental alignment, then the first step will be to book an initial consultation with one of our specialists. They will help guide and assess you to see your suitability for the treatment and the best treatment options.

During this appointment, you will also have your oral hygiene and dental health assessed. It is important to have any required treatment before starting your orthodontic journey. Depending on the case, you may be required to have some teeth removed (called extraction); this is done to make space for teeth that may currently be crowded.

After your initial consultation, and once you have had time to think about your options and come to your decision, your treatment can be started. At your first appointment we will take a series of records of your teeth, and you will have clinical photos taken, impressions and x-rays. These will help your dentist plan the most appropriate course of treatment with your metal braces.

This appointment tends to be longer than the others, around 2 hours. During this appointment, you will have each tooth prepared with a special gel, which is washed off, and then a dental glue is applied, and the metal bracket is placed on the tooth’s surface. This is repeated until all upper and lower teeth have the brackets attached. Once the brackets are attached, a metal wire will be cut to size and attached to each bracket; this will then be tightened to move the teeth to the desired location.

You will then attend follow-up appointments every 4-8 weeks; this allows your teeth to get used to the tightening and start to move. You may feel slight discomfort or aching whilst the teeth start moving, but this should subside. For every follow-up appointment, records of your teeth will be taken, and the wire will be tightened. Treatment times can range from 18months-24months depending on the severity of the realignment.

When the teeth have moved to the desired location, you will be ready to have your braces off! This appointment is approximately 30-60minutes and involves removing the brackets, which is a simple process. Once the brackets are removed, a small amount of residue will be left behind; the orthodontist will remove this residue leaving a perfect shiny smile!

You may be provided with a fixed retainer, which involves a small metal wire glued to the backside of your teeth, which helps keep them in place and stops them from moving back to their original position. You may also be offered a removable plastic retainer which should be worn overnight. Both types of retainer should be worn for the rest of your life to ensure the teeth stay in the desired position.

A robust oral hygiene routine is critical for the success of the orthodontic treatment; your dentist will help instruct you on how to floss correctly, use interdental aids and brush effectively whilst wearing your braces. As well as interdental cleaning and brushing with a round-headed electric toothbrush, you may also be shown a single tuft toothbrush which will help clean around the brackets.

If you do not brush effectively around these brackets, plaque can build up, leading to acid erosion or decay. If this happens when the brackets are removed, you may be left with white or brown patches where the brackets were attached.