Spring is now in full bloom and at this time of year, we are always looking at the future. This could be planning for a summer holiday, sorting out the house or even a smile transformation! Our case of the month for April was a fabulous one highlighting how a new smile really can transform your confidence and general well being. One of the most popular treatments we use to straighten front teeth is the Social 6 lingual brace. This is the only brace that can be considered truly invisible as it is placed behind the teeth and hidden from view. No more train tracks! Most treatments are only 3-4 months hence you could have a beaming smile in time for the Bank Holiday in August. 

Our client was on a deadline as hew was having a lot of dental work completed elsewhere but was told he needed his front teeth straighter. Many other dental clinics said it was not possible but we bucked the trend and managed to complete the treatment on schedule with great results.

We love a challenge especially when it concerns teeth straightening and our case of the month treated in October was a great one. Our lovely patient came to us to straighten her front teeth only after years of being down about her smile. She was told by several dentists that it simply was not possible without going through a long drawn out full mouth orthodontic plan. We were happy to take on the challenge head on and after some careful planning, Dr Nissit Patel was able to provide a great result in a few months using the Social 6 lingual brace.
 

Teeth alignment is an incredibly popular cosmetic dental treatment which we have been offering for nearly 16 years at Progressive Dentistry. Most people know about Invisalign, which is a fantastic treatment using clear aligners. However, not many are aware of lingual braces. This brace is placed behind the teeth hence no one will know you are straightening your teeth. This treatment is not readily available at most dental practices like Invisalign as it is regarded as being more technically difficult and requires special training. 

We have been placing lingual braces for over 15 years and have treated thousands of patients in that time. There is no substitute for experience!
 

One of our favourite treatments for cosmetic teeth straightening is the Social 6 lingual brace. This brace is the truly invisible brace as it is placed on the inside of the teeth. Even though lingual braces have been around for many decades, there is little awareness of the system as the treatment in the past has been kept within the realm of specialist orthodontists and the costs have been incredibly high compared to conventional braces. Now for complex cases, lingual brace treatment is an extremely difficult and technically demanding one for dentists and patients and the costs, quite rightly, relate to this. However, for more simple cosmetic alignment, the Social 6 lingual brace is a great option for simple, quick and affordable treatment.
 

Our case of the month for September 2019 is one featuring a lingual brace. For those of you that follow our blog and case of the month series, we love lingual braces. They are hidden braces placed behind the teeth and hence the ONLY invisible brace despite what others may have you believe. Before we show you the case, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of lingual braces. The technique is not for everyone and hence this is really useful information.

Advantages of Lingual Braces 
 

1. Cannot be seen; hidden from view
2. Excellent at alignment, leveling, rotation correction when space is present
3. Excellent at space closure when the bite allows
4. No lip irritation
5. No damage to the outer surfaces of the teeth whilst placing and removing

Disadvantages of Lingual Braces
 

1. Contact on the brackets whilst biting, eating, chewing which is hard to get used to
2. Harder to clean
3. Tongue soreness
4. Greater likelihood of knocking the brackets off inadvertently
5. Use of lower night guard essential if only upper teeth are being treated
6. Cannot be used if teeth are very crowded as there will not be enough space for the brackets to be placed
7. Extremely fiddly for the treating dentist to place and adjust!
8. More expensive than conventional braces- for good reason!

Here is our case, a great end result:
 

Our case of the month for August is a beautiful one involving a very natural smile transformation using minimally invasive dentistry. For those of you who have not read any of our case of the month articles, we believe in the least invasive techniques to produce stunning smiles. After all, we are all born with teeth that should last a life time. If the healthy tooth enamel is drilled away for cosmetic reasons, the tooth may not last a life time which would be a travesty. Our client was told to have a set of 6 veneers to produce the 'perfect smile'. Understandably, she was not happy with this solution which would mean cutting all of the enamel off the front teeth. Her aims were that of a natural smile rather than perfection and a treatment that involved keeping her teeth intact. The presenting situation showed uneven, crowded front teeth with some spacing present:
 

It's early in June but we could not wait to post our case of the month. As you may be aware, we believe in the least invasive techniques to create stunning smiles which look natural and healthy. After all, it is pretty obvious when a smile is false- just look at various celebrities on TV (no names mentioned!) 

Our patient requested a drastic improvement on his smile using lingual braces as he did not want the brace to be visible for work reasons. The treatment was a great success and the improvement as profound. We discussed the need for teeth whitening and cosmetic bonding after treatment to enhance symmetry. Often, teeth are asymmetrical due to tooth wear, grinding at night, genetic reasons or past treatments. 

Pre treatment:
 

We are a bit late for the January case but it is well worth waiting for. The case involves one of our favourite treatments; ABC. As you may well, we believe in minimally invasive dentistry. We can create stunning smiles without having to drill away your teeth; we simply enhance what you already have.

Our case involves teeth straightening initially using full mouth lingual braces. Lingual braces are the only braces that can be said to be 'invisible'. They are placed behind the teeth so that no one will know that you are having your teeth straightened. Of course, we can use alternative systems such as conventional outside braces or Invisalign also. There are many choices available, long gone are the days of metal train tracks as the only option. 

After we achieved a beautiful straight smile, tooth whitening was done using our in chair Phillips ZOOM whitening and take home kit. 

This was followed by cosmetic bonding to create symmetry of otherwise uneven and asymmetrical teeth. The results are simply awesome and this is a case of a true smile transformation. Please take a look at the before and after photos:
 

Our case of the month for June is a Social 6 lingual brace to correct the upper front teeth. The Social 6 lingual brace is excellent for straightening the front 4 teeth, or the incisor teeth. The canine teeth are the anchors of the brace. Hence, the brace is placed on 6 teeth but can only correct the front 4 teeth.