Orthodontics
Traditional Braces
Still the most capable tool in orthodontics, and the right answer more often than people expect.
What it is
Fixed braces are not the compromise option. For significant rotations, bite correction and growth cases they will finish a result that aligners can only approximate.
Brackets are bonded to each tooth and connected by a wire that is changed through the course of treatment. Because they cannot be taken out, they work whether or not you remember them — which for teenagers in particular is the deciding advantage.
Ceramic brackets are far less conspicuous than the metal of twenty years ago, and the wires are gentler. Expect a few days of tenderness after each adjustment, and expect us to be blunt about the extra brushing they demand: decalcification around a bracket is permanent, and entirely preventable.
Included
What this
involves
Everything below is carried out here, by the clinician who planned it. Anything not on this list is either not needed or will be discussed with you before it is booked.
- Metal and tooth-coloured ceramic brackets
- Bite correction and complex rotations
- Early interceptive treatment
- Regular adjustment appointments
- Hygiene coaching for brace care
- Retainers and long-term monitoring
Plenty of our aligner patients are adults finishing something they were meant to have done at fourteen.
Common questions
Good To Know
- Braces or aligners?
- Aligners suit most adult cases and many teenage ones. Where the movements are large, the bite needs correcting or wear is uncertain, fixed braces will give the better result — and we will say so rather than sell you the more comfortable option.
- Do they hurt?
- There is tenderness for two to three days after fitting and after each adjustment, manageable with ordinary painkillers and softer food.
- Are my teeth going to move back afterwards?
- They will if nothing holds them. That is what retainers are for, and why retention is built into the plan and the price from the start.
More in this area
Orthodontics
Considering traditional braces?
Come in for a consultation. We will examine, explain and give you a written plan with a price against every item — then you decide, in your own time.