INVISALIGN & BRACES FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Are braces safe? Do they hurt? How long will you have to wear them? Will they affect the way you talk? Can you eat crusty bread? How do you clean your teeth while wearing Invisalign?

We've put together a series of frequently asked questions.

It gives you the answers to the questions our patients always ask us.

What are fixed and lingual braces?

Fixed braces are an extremely effective way to straighten your teeth.

They are more discreet and more comfortable than the conventional braces of days gone by.

Lingual braces are unnoticeable because we place them behind your teeth.

What is Invisalign®?

The Invisalign system features plastic, removable, “invisible” braces – or aligners – that you can take out before cleaning your teeth, eating and drinking. (You don't need to take them out when you're drinking water.)

We'll give you a brand new pair of bespoke aligners once a week or once every two weeks.

They move your teeth ever closer to their perfect, final position.

Do braces hurt?

When you first start wearing fixed or lingual braces you can feel some discomfort.

This gets easier as time goes by.

When you put in a new set of Invisalign® aligners, you can feel some tenderness.

Again, this gets easier day by day.

In both cases, this discomfort means the treatment is working and your teeth are moving towards their final position.

What can you eat with braces?

With fixed braces, you'll be able to eat most foods after a few days.

However, you should avoid things like very crusty bread and hard sweets.

Your orthodontist can give you further advice.

With Invisalign, you can keep your aligners in to drink water.

You will remove your aligners to eat or drink anything else.

Then simply brush your teeth and aligners… and pop your aligners back in.

What is good oral hygiene for braces?

As a starting point, follow a good oral health care routine as usual.

Looking after braces is only slightly more effort than looking after your teeth and gums in the normal way.

Tiny scraps of food can get trapped in your braces causing plaque.

Your orthodontist will tell you exactly how to take care of your braces.

For Invisalign, as already mentioned, brush your teeth and aligners each time you remove them.

Do braces affect speech?

Your speech could be affected when you first start wearing braces or aligners – but it usually improves after a couple of days.

Some patients practise reading out loud to speed up their improvement.

Can I get braces if I have crowns?

This is usually fine.

Do I need to remove teeth for braces?

In some cases – if it cannot be avoided – teeth are taken out to create space for teeth straightening.