Braces or retainers are used to gradually move your teeth to an appropriate position to align the teeth correctly. They are intended to improve your smile and, at the same time, improve your confidence. But the importance of braces moves beyond just improving your physical appearance. They treat speech problems, correct chewing problems and prevent tooth decay and gum disease. If you own or work at a dental office as a dentist, you must already be aware of these benefits. In the present time, patients are moving further and further away from the traditional off-the-shelf metal braces to the more modern custom-made braces due to their invisibility. Below are some of the reasons why your dental office should invest in custom-made tooth retainers and braces as opposed to the off-the-shelf braces.
Higher performance capabilities
Custom braces will perform better than off-the-shelf braces because they are specially designed for the patient's teeth structure. Using off-the-shelf braces are a sort of general application solution to dental problems. They, therefore, create the one-size-fits-all scenario which fails to address the specific needs of the patient.
Physical appeal
The whole point of dental braces is to improve the alignment of the teeth, therefore improving the patient's physical appearance. Not all patients want to 'announce' to everybody they interact with that they are undergoing orthodontic treatment. Off-the-shelf braces make the grand announcement as they are visible. Therefore, instead of improving the confidence of the patient, the patient may actually suffer from low self-esteem depending on the attitude of the society towards braces. Custom braces such as Invisalign, ceramic or lingual braces are 'invisible' to the rest of the world.
They can be removed easily
Often, with traditional off-the-shelf braces, the patient may be forced to avoid eating some foods to maintain the braces and the teeth overall in excellent condition. With custom braces (except lingual braces), the patient can easily remove them when eating and cleaning the teeth. The patient does not need to avoid eating some foods.
Ease of maintaining oral hygiene
Apart from lingual braces, custom braces are comfortable to maintain than the traditional metal braces. The patient is in a better position to take care of their teeth, especially when it comes to cleaning the teeth because they can remove the braces and adequately clean their teeth. They will not have the trouble of undergoing cosmetic treatment to remove any discolouring or spotting of the teeth due to poor oral hygiene after the procedure is complete.
For many years, I hated the way my teeth looked. They always looked discoloured so I would do everything I could to hide my smile. On family photos, my mom would always complain that I never gave a grin like my brothers and sisters. When I graduated college, I decided I needed to take action. I contacted my local dental surgery and asked them about tooth whitening treatments. The dentist was great and gave me all of the info I needed. After the treatment, my smile was like a million dollars. I decided to start this blog to educate others about the benefits of teeth whitening and other dental treatments.