FAQs ADULT ORTHODONTIC PATIENTS

Adult Orthodontic Treatment is becoming more popular in recent times as more and more adults want to improve their smile and facial appearance as well the health of their teeth. With more disposable income at hand, people who were deprived of teeth corrections as children due to financial problems or just indifference or lack of awareness, are visiting Orthodontic clinics to correct them.

Till what age can I wear braces to improve my smile and facial appearance ?

How is an adult braces treatment different from that for children?

As an adult how do I benefit from braces treatment ?

What problems I am likely to face with braces on my teeth and what are the restrictions that I will be expected to follow after I wear braces ?

I might be embarrassed to move out with braces on my teeth at this age. How do I deal with it ?

Is the treatment going to affect the health of my teeth?

Will the teeth corrections last throughout my life ?

What can be the cost of the treatment?

Till what age can I wear braces to improve my smile and facial appearance ?

There is no upper age limit for feasibility of doing Orthodontic treatment. But for practical purposes, you can wear braces till the age of 50–55 years. Basic Biologic requirement to avail of a braces treatment is the presence of good, healthy teeth with adequate bone support and healthy gum tissues. Absence of systemic diseases like diabetes, degenerative diseases of the bone or enzyme deficiencies etc is a must before you can think of getting your braces treatment.

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How is an adult braces treatment different from that for children?

The biological response to the braces treatment differs in children and adults. In adults, since the bone growth is complete and the bone is denser, the speed of tooth movement is lesser. More the age, lesser the tooth movement. As you grow older, only limited tooth movements are possible since the regressive changes in bone physiology may have already started.

The Orthodontic force levels have to be low in adults, particularly in patients with gum problems and less bone support to the teeth. As an adult, you might experience a little more pain than usual. Also, you might take more time to adjust to the braces.

As an adult how do I benefit from braces treatment ?

The braces treatment will go a long way in improving the attractiveness of your smile and health of your teeth and supporting structures. You may think of putting braces for a variety of reasons -

•  If your teeth are crowded, uneven or crooked

•  If your teeth are jutting out or in cross bite

•  Your dental arch is narrow and your smile looks ugly and deficient

•  If you find that the there are spaces developing in the teeth and teeth have begun to shift

•  Your front teeth gums are being hurt every time you bite because opposing teeth are cutting into them (deep bite)

•  You had a long standing space due to tooth extraction, you want to get an artificial tooth fixed, but you and your dentist find that the adjacent teeth have tilted and the opposing tooth has over-erupted in that space, making artificial tooth replacement difficult or impossible

•  You have developed clicking or pain in jaw joint due to uneven bite or your jaw deviates to one side while closing

•  Your tooth has fractured near the root and your dentist wants to extrude it so that he can fix a crown to it

•  If you decide to go for surgery to correct overgrown or under-grown jaws

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What problems I am likely to face with braces on my teeth and what are the restrictions that I will be expected to follow after I wear braces ?

You will generally have similar problems that are faced by children with braces and instructions also remain almost the same (refer FAQs for Teenage Orthodontic Patient)

I might be embarrassed to move out with braces on my teeth at this age. How do I deal with it ?

It is very normal for an average adult to feel socially embarrassed with braces on the teeth. But if you consider the fact that they are going to be on your teeth only for a few months and are going to make changes that will certainly improve the quality of your life, the confidence level and social acceptance, there is no reason to feel shy.

Also, there are tooth-colored ceramic or plastic braces available which will not be as visible on your teeth. Completely invisible braces are lingual braces which can be put on the inside surface of the teeth. Both these braces tend to prolong the treatment marginally and come at an additional cost.

Is the treatment going to affect the health of my teeth?

To maintain this balance in adults, the rate of tooth movement has to be slower. Also, improper cleaning of teeth decreases the rate of bone formation. Therefore, as long as the force levels are kept within limits and there is proper maintenance of oral hygiene, the health of the teeth will remain perfectly normal.

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Will the teeth corrections last throughout my life?

Generally the teeth corrections in adults are less stable as compared to those of children and are more likely to relapse. Hence, in adults, generally a bondable fixed retainer is glued to the inner surface of the teeth to hold the corrections. The teeth, more or less, remain stable as long as the retainer is in place.

What can be the cost of the treatment ?

As with the children, the treatment cost varies according to the problem that is being treated. The adult treatment cost could be higher than that of a child. Further, if you decide to put ceramic or lingual braces, the cost will be more.