Pros and Cons

A lot of patients who make appointments with an orthodontist are probably hoping to hear that they don’t need months and months of treatment, and that it will be practically free, unfortunately if you have such high expectations, you’re bound to be disappointed. When considering any kind of cosmetic treatment, you should be willing to look at it from every angle, even the negative aspects. It’s no good rushing headlong into a certain treatment without first thinking about the number of appointments, the cost, the possible discomfort, and of course the desired outcome. Your dentist should run through your various options before beginning the process, and they should make you fully aware of the implications, both negative and positive.

The 6 month smile system is a revolutionary treatment for dental malocclusions, it can treat crowded or badly spaced teeth, and in some cases incorrect bites, but is it suitable for everyone? Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of a system like this;

What are the pros of 6 month smile treatment?

There are lots of benefits to this type of orthodontic care, so if your dentist recommends you for treatment, a 6 month smile system is well worth considering.

Discreet – Because the wires are small and their shade is matched to that of your enamel, it’s very hard to spot if someone is wearing this kind of brace. The tiny brackets that are bonded to your teeth are also white or cream in colour, making the appliance much easier to live with. Some adults might not have the confidence to wear traditional braces, but a discreet device like the ones used with 6 month smiles can open up a world of orthodontic possibilities to patients who are uneasy about being seen with braces.

Fast treatment time – They’re called 6 month smiles for a reason; the aim is to correct misalignments or noticeable spaces within a period of six months or less. Some patients may be preparing for a family wedding or other special occasion, and traditional orthodontics could not hope to do the job in the same amount of time as 6 month smiles – in some cases they can take just a quarter of the time of traditional methods. This is obviously a huge benefit, as most people would admit to being put off seeking orthodontic treatment when faced with a two or three year time period.

Comfortable – Because the system is more suited to patients who have problems with their incisors, the braces can work by applying less pressure to the teeth than normal devices would. They gently reposition the teeth with a much lower level of force, this makes them less painful to wear – although it’s likely that there will still be some slight discomfort as your teeth get used to the initial change in pressure. After the first few days, you should become accustomed to your new braces and you won’t even notice they are there after a while.

Cost – When compared to similar treatments, or systems that require aligners to reposition the teeth, the 6 month smile course is very competitively priced. The most expensive orthodontic methods on the market today tend to be those that don’t require any metal or brackets to realign the teeth; they use clear shields to apply the pressure needed. 6 month smile braces are cheaper than such treatments, but are just as effective and can often outperform their more costly counterparts, with the right surgeon and patient.

What are the cons of 6 month smile treatment?

It’s easy to be put off by some of the disadvantages mentioned here, but remember that there is no such thing as a perfect treatment, if there were, everyone would have it and there would be no alternatives needed. In order to get the right and most effective system for you, it’s just a question of weighing up the positives and negatives concerning one type of treatment. Ask yourself what you could live with for six months if it meant you had a straighter smile at the end of it, consider the price you are willing to pay for a quicker result, and try to remember that no system is going to be completely faultless – although, thanks to pioneering dental technology, the industry is getting closer to that every day.

It’s not suitable for everyone – In some cases, the 6 month smile can be used as part of on-going orthodontic treatment to help with an overbite or underbite, but in general, it won’t be suitable for people who have problems like this. The system is designed to work with patients who have a misaligned or badly spaced smile, or need some other type of minor cosmetic improvements, and won’t work with more serious orthodontic conditions. Also, it normally takes more than six months to fix an incorrect bite, so sufferers wouldn’t be able to benefit from the short treatment time.

Children and teenagers cannot usually be treated – It’s very difficult to apply orthodontics to teeth that are still growing, and braces in particular have to be kept in place for periods longer than six months, most of the time. As the adult teeth begin to break through, it’s possible that much more problematic misalignments may become apparent; in most cases, this will rule the patient out of treatment with the 6 month smile system.

Permanent bonding to the teeth – Unlike Invisalign aligners or retainers, the wire and bracket appliances cannot be removed to eat or drink throughout the course of treatment. Some patients may consider this to be a major down side, but those who have experienced it can testify that it is very easy to live with and look after, and as they got used to it, it didn’t hinder speech or movement at all.

For more information, or to organise a consultation regarding 6 month smiles, give the Pearl Dental Clinic a call, they could be able to help you get a straighter, brighter smile in no time.