You’ve just started your braces treatment. That’s awesome! Now there’s the question: How long do you keep them on? There’s a lot of excitement and anxiety leading to the day your new smile is revealed, and everyone has a unique orthodontic journey. There are a few factors to consider when planning how long you’ll be wearing your braces. Here at Luv Braces, we want you to understand every step of your path to a better smile. Let’s take a look at a few things that could determine the length of your braces journey.
What are you being treated for?
Every patient has different goals and treatment, but there is a general rule-of-thumb we can count on for most of our visitors. For example, if you have a complex case that requires comprehensive care, your treatment time will likely be longer than someone who has a bite with only mild issues. Severely displaced teeth or significant bite problems often require more time to correct than simple spacing or crowding issues. The more work that’s needed, and the more complex that work is, the more time it will take for the treatment to be completed.
How does your body respond to the treatment?
Everyone responds to treatment in different ways. Even two patients with similar cases still rarely have the same exact response to the same treatment. Gum tissue thickness, bone density, and chewing patterns vary between people, and oral habits such as clenching or grinding the teeth can also affect treatment. It’s important to have an orthodontist who knows your specific needs. Dr. Tahbaz and Dr. Rezapour take a personalized approach with every patient that visits our office. They’ll build you a custom treatment plan based on your specific goals for the best results.
Are you compliant with your treatment?
Your smile journey should be a collaboration between you and your orthodontist. Our doctors will take care of putting on your braces and prescribing the tooth movements associated with clear aligners. You have an important role in perfecting your smile too! How compliant you are with treatment guidelines can determine how long and how successful your treatment is.
The first part of treatment plan compliance is maintaining a strong dental hygiene routine. Your braces can better help your teeth if you keep them in healthy shape. Without good oral health habits, this can slow your treatment down. Orthodontic treatment may need to be paused if dental work needs to be done. It’s also important to wear your elastics if you’re wearing braces. This also means staying on top of your scheduled appointments with us.
If you maintain good oral health and follow the instructions of your orthodontist, you can decrease the length of your treatment time. Another essential part of the process is meeting with your orthodontic team. Our experts will assess the movement of your teeth and make sure everything is on track. If you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment, give us a head’s up and we can adjust to your busy schedule! However, if you want to keep your treatment fast and steady, try to stick to the schedule as close as possible and make up for any missed appointments later.
Braces and aligners are important tools for creating your best smile, but they are also susceptible to damage. Any breaks, cracks, or snaps in your braces require fixing, and this can push your treatment schedule back. If you’re wearing braces, one way to avoid this is to avoid any crunchy or sticky foods, as these can weaken the bond strength of brackets or snap wires. A broken or loosened bracket is not considered an emergency, and may not need immediate attention. We do want to rebond it as soon as possible. When a bracket isn’t properly bonded to your teeth, no active tooth movement occurs. This can add time to the treatment process, so be sure to contact our office if you experience any damage to your braces.
How old are you?
Your age can also play a role in the length of your treatment. Teeth can move at any age, but children and teens in particular can move their teeth more easily due to their bones being more pliable since they’re still growing and not fully developed. This is why braces tend to be more common in childhood and adolescence. It also allows for Dr. Tahbaz and Dr. Rezapour to have more control over your bite correction. For older patients, however, treatment can take longer with more developed teeth. The jawbone stops growing by our early twenties. Successfully treating orthodontic issues after that point may require more time and effort.
Our practice offers a wide range of treatments to move your teeth comfortably, efficiently, and as quickly as possible. While there will not be an exact end date for your treatment, the average time in braces tends to be anywhere from twelve to thirty-six months. Treatment with a clear aligner system like Invisalign can be slightly shorter.
There are many factors that can affect the length of treatment, and not just the ones listed above. Any of these could make your treatment longer or shorter than others. No matter how long your treatment takes, we can promise one thing: Our expert team of orthodontic experts will be there the whole time to make your final result the smile you want.
Give your teeth some love, at Luv Braces
No matter what kind of orthodontic treatment you’re looking for, you deserve the right team who can provide a satisfying experience. At Luv Braces, our mission is to provide high-quality orthodontic care to patients of all ages in the Austin and Bee Cave areas. If you’re interested in learning more about the variety of treatment options we provide, our team would love to meet you.
Dr. Tahbaz, Dr. Rezapour, and our friendly team are standing by with the education and experience you need to reach the smile of your dreams without giving up the sport you love. Schedule a FREE consultation today to get your custom mouth protection for prolonged oral health!