Orthodontics in Centuria, WI

Have your crooked teeth been a sore spot for years? Do you hate having to meet new people because you don’t want them to notice your awkward-looking teeth? Whether you have overcrowding, a bull-dog underbite, or gaps between your teeth—River Birch Dental has the solution. Orthodontic treatments can provide you with better oral health and the beautiful smile you deserve.

Braces for Every Age Group

We tend to associate braces with children and adolescents, but the truth is that they are an appropriate treatment for patients of any age. If you have maloccluded (misaligned) teeth, orthodontics can benefit your oral health, whether you are nine or 49.

Why does tooth alignment matter? When teeth do not fit together optimally, they are harder to keep clean. This can make you more vulnerable to developing tooth decay and gum disease. When teeth have the right amount of space between them, they are easier to clean, monitor, and treat.

Beyond oral hygiene, alignment affects how you bite and chew. If the top and bottom teeth do not fit together properly, this can lead to oral health conditions, such as enamel erosion, TMJ disorder, and bruxism. These conditions can damage your teeth and cause painful symptoms. Correcting alignment problems gives you or your child the best opportunity to have healthy teeth that last a lifetime.

What Conditions Can Be Corrected with Braces

Invisible aligner treatments may be preferred for their discreet appearance, but the truth is that they cannot correct the same range of problems that traditional bracket-and-wire braces can. Most clear aligners are only recommended for mild-to-moderate cases, whereas braces can correct:

• Overcrowding
• Teeth that overlap
• Crooked teeth
• Teeth with gaps
• Bite problems (overbite, under bite, cross bite, open bite)
• Teeth that need to be rotated
• Teeth that need to be shifted vertically

How Do Orthodontic Treatments Work?

We think of our teeth as being fixed, but the truth is that they can shift quite easily with the right forms of pressure. Orthodontic treatments apply constant, gentle pressure at strategic points in the mouth. Over time, the teeth will shift into a proper state of alignment, leaving you with the smile you were meant to have.

With traditional orthodontics, metal brackets are permanently affixed to the front or back of the teeth, and a wire is threaded through them. Each month, the wire is tightened to apply pressure and gently coax the teeth to shift in the coming weeks. As the months pass, all those small shifts add up to an even and symmetrical smile. Patients may also need to use bands or other accessories, depending on their individual case and treatment plan. Treatment timelines will vary, but the average course of orthodontic treatment lasts about 24 months.

Adult Braces Can Improve Your Confidence

Aside from the benefits to your oral health, braces can improve how you feel about your appearance. If you’ve been hiding your smile, you probably haven’t felt free to be yourself. Correcting your smile can help you become more outgoing socially, as well as in your career. A well-balanced smile will make you feel good about being you!

Even patients who wore braces as a child can have misaligned teeth as adults. If you didn’t keep wearing your retainer indefinitely, your teeth may have shifted back into a state of misalignment. It can be especially disheartening to see a picture from ten years ago and notice that your perfect smile is now gone. In those cases, a shorter course of adult braces can help you reclaim the confidence you once had.