

Dental Braces London


Orthodontics (Dental Braces)

It’s never too late to look and feel your best! In today’s world, problems like crooked teeth, spaces between the teeth or teeth that stick out can decrease your self-confidence. Although most adults seek orthodontics for cosmetic reasons, many also seek treatment because of jaw dysfunction, excessive wearing of teeth and gum or hygiene problems. Our approach is to concentrate on straightening teeth and on achieving harmony for your teeth, jaws and face. By focusing on the bigger picture, we achieve straight teeth, a healthy function of the jaw joints, a more pleasing appearance and long lasting results.

There are several types of braces, fixed or removable and at Londonsmiling we work with you to choose the best solution to straighten your teeth

1) Fixed Tooth Coloured Braces

These are the commonest type of braces and used to be known as ‘train tracks’.  Traditionally they were made of metal but we now have ceramic and clear brackets available so they are less noticeable.

2) Lingual Braces

These are totally invisible as they are bonded to the inner surface of your teeth.  We use the latest CAD/CAM technology (computer-aided design /computer-aided manufacturing technology) to make these so they are as accurate as possible and so even more effective

3) Inman Aligner

The Inman Aligner is a unique way of straightening teeth. It uses nickel titanium technology to very gently but efficiently move teeth. It takes considerably less time than other types of orthodontic appliances – sometimes as little as 4 weeks!

How does it work?

The Inman Aligner utilises a lingual coil spring that puts pressure on the back of the teeth that need repositioning and a wire across the front of the teeth that reverses the same pressure. These components work together to “squeeze” teeth together by pushing and pulling them into alignment. To be effective, it must be worn between 16 to 20 hours a day.

Is the Inman Aligner comparable to Invisalign invisible braces?

Invisalign is very different from the Inman Aligner and treatment is generally slower. The Inman Aligner is used for treating the front teeth only and is not suitable for the alignment of back teeth. Invisalign can treat your whole arche (including back teeth). When the back teeth need treatment ie the arch width is too narrow we can use a pre-treatment to expand the arches and then follow this with the Inman Aligner.

Will it Hurt?

Due to the gentle but steady forces generated by the Inman Aligner, it is rare to suffer any discomfort.

Will the Inman Aligner affect my speech?

The Inman Aligner will affect your speech for a week to ten days. You will however acclimate to the appliance over time and be able to speak fine with them in place. It may cause you to salivate more than usual for about 2 days.

4) Invisalign

These are often referred to as the ultimate cosmetic brace. Invisalign is a revolutionary new way for teeth straightening without braces by using a series of nearly undetectable aligners instead of wires and brackets. The clear aligners move your teeth, week by week, millimetre by millimetre, to the desired position.

Using 3D computer technology, each of your Invisalign aligners is made to sit snugly over your teeth and unlike normal braces can be removed for eating, brushing and flossing.

How long does the procedure take?

The process takes anywhere from six to eighteen months.

How long does it last?

The outcome is usually permanent. Adults need to wear braces for a longer duration than children, and they almost always need a permanent nighttime retainer to hold the new positioning.

If there is any concern that your teeth could possibly regress, a cosmetic dentist can attach (bond) a fine wire retainer onto your teeth to ensure that they do not move later on in life.

Who has had dental braces done?

Many adults wear braces, even into their seventies. Tom Cruise, Emma Watson, Dakota Fanning, Ashley Judd, and Pink are just some of the numerous famous smiles that have benefited from dental braces.

Dr Uchenna Okoye gives her expert advice on dental braces.

Video Transcript
“Say the word braces and people imagine these Ugly Betty, metal train track things. But honestly, braces have moved on so much.

The best thing about braces is it’s your own teeth. Why have fakes when you can work with the real thing? So if you’re teeth are a great shape and size and it’s just that nature’s handed you a bad hand and they’re crowded, I can fix that, in less than a year for most people.

The stereotype of braces is a spotty teenager, but actually, that’s not true. The oldest person I’ve done braces for is 76 and she looks fabulous!

There are two types of braces. Removable, which you can take out, and fixed, which are bonded onto your teeth during the treatment.

Invisalign are clear liners which fit over your teeth and they’re virtually impossible to see. You change each aligner every 2 weeks as your teeth move and you only take them out to brush and to eat.

The Inman aligner mainly works just on the front teeth. It’s got a very fine titanium wire that fits over the teeth. The advantage of them though is that they’re really fast and sometimes in as little as 6 weeks, you can see the end result.

There are two types of fixed braces. There’s the traditional Labial braces which is the metal train tracks which we all love to hate, but it has moved on a lot now and you can get porcelain brackets and clear brackets so it doesn’t look as obvious.

The most popular fixed braces I provide are the Lingual braces. They’re bonded to the inside of your teeth, so they’re completely invisible and no one can see. I call them my celebrity secret weapon, because there are so many of them wandering around the red carpet, but no gossip mags or papers have picked up on that.

If your teeth are healthy, braces are key to getting a natural, fabulous smile.”