Braces and clear aligners in Malad West

What are braces and clear aligners?

Orthodontic treatment moves teeth, slowly and gently, into better positions. It is used for crowded, crooked or gapped teeth, and for teeth that do not meet properly when you bite.

At the clinic, braces and clear aligners are provided by Dr. Resham Deshpande.

There are two main ways to do it. Fixed braces are small brackets bonded to the teeth and joined by a wire, which is adjusted at regular visits. Clear aligners are a series of thin, removable plastic trays, each made to move the teeth a small step further; you wear each set for a week or two, for most of the day.

Which suits you, and roughly how long it takes, depends on your teeth and is explained after an examination.

Signs you might need it

• Teeth that are crowded or overlap, so they are hard to clean.
• Gaps between the teeth.
• Upper and lower teeth that do not meet properly: an overbite, an underbite or a crossbite.
• Teeth that have moved over the years, or moved back after braces worn as a child.
• A child whose adult teeth are coming in crowded.

What happens, step by step

1. Examination and records

   The doctor examines your teeth, gums and bite, and takes X-rays, photographs and a scan or impressions of your teeth.

2. The plan

   The doctor explains whether braces or aligners suit your teeth, what treatment involves and roughly how long it may take. The cost is told to you in writing before anything is done.

3. Fitting

   Braces are bonded to the teeth at a single appointment. With aligners, you receive the opening sets of trays and learn how to put them in and take them out.

4. Visits along the way

   Regular visits to adjust the braces, or to check that the aligners are moving the teeth as planned and to collect the next sets.

5. Retainers

   Once the teeth are in place, a retainer, fixed behind the teeth or removable, holds them there. Without one, teeth tend to drift back.

How it feels afterwards

Teeth often feel sore or under pressure for a few days after braces are fitted or adjusted, or when you start a new set of aligners; soft food helps. Brackets can rub the inside of the cheeks to begin with, and orthodontic wax eases this.

Keeping the teeth clean matters more than usual. Food catches around brackets, and aligners should come out before you eat or drink anything except water, and be cleaned before they go back in.

What decides the cost

A fee is only worked out once the doctor has examined you. It depends on:

• Braces or aligners, and which kind.
• How far the teeth need to move, which decides how long treatment takes.
• Retainers at the end of treatment.
• The cost is told to you in writing before anything is done.