Orthodontic treatment is not just for children, wearing braces through their school years. It can also be for adults, perhaps because they missed out on corrective treatment at a young age, or they have accumulated enough funds as adults to finally be able to afford the treatment.
Perhaps some others may even not have realized the importance of getting orthodontic treatment until later on in life when they realize the difficulties it causes in maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Whichever the case, it is never too late for an adult to receive orthodontic treatment that they need.
One thing that must be clear, though: it will most likely take an adult much longer to correct their teeth or jaw alignment than it would a child, as children’s teeth are often not fully formed and their jaws and gums are still soft and malleable.
Nevertheless, age is not the only factor determining how long a treatment may last for an adult patient. The complexity of their case, number of problems treated, the type of braces used, and even their compliance to the treatment are all major players in how long they need to go through with the treatment in question – in fact, more significant than the age factor per se. These are the main factors you should know if you are considering adult orthodontics.
Complexity Of Cases
The minimum duration of wearing braces can be as short as a few months, which fixes basic problems like a crooked tooth, or odd spacing. More complex cases may take much longer, even up to 36 months for some. However, it must be known that braces can also surprisingly fix other problems such as bone and gum loss, abnormal wear of tooth enamel, headaches, jaw pains, and tooth decay.
Type Of Braces
Generally speaking, high-grade stainless steel braces and clear ceramic braces are the most powerful and effective types of orthodontic treatment. Using such braces would allow you the shortest treatment time, and are also more likely to give the best results. Metal braces can withstand more pressure than ceramic ones, so if your case is severe, you may choose to go for this option for efficient correction. Lingual braces, worn on the inside of the teeth, are popular among adults because they are invisible from the front, but these will take much longer to treat your teeth alignment problems.
Staying Compliant
While this issue is more common amongst teenage patients, some adults run risk of not staying compliant to the treatment as well. Perhaps due to frequent business or client meetings, lifestyle habits, or vanity issues, adults may fail to comply with the orthodontist’s instructions. This will indubitably increase the treatment time.
Remember that after the braces come off, it doesn’t mean the end of your treatment. You would need to go back to your orthodontist for check ups to make sure that your treatment was successful and will last, as sometimes after braces are removed, some patients’ teeth may start to shift back to their original position. It’s best to stop this as early as possible if it happens.