Are you yearning for a beautiful smile, but apprehensive about the sight of wires and brackets every time you open your mouth to speak or enjoy a meal?

The era of conspicuous, dull metallic braces is behind us. In today’s dental landscape, you can achieve a perfect, beautiful and healthy smile without the aesthetic concern of visible metal in your mouth. A prime example of this evolution is the introduction of lingual braces.

Unlike traditional braces, you wear lingual braces at the back surface of your teeth.  This makes the braces invisible when you eat or talk. This means they are not easily visible to the naked eye, which makes them aesthetically pleasing. But this leads to a vital question: What happens before and after lingual braces?

This blog aims to dive deeper into the answer and explain all lingual avenues in detail. Lingual braces before and after scenarios, various types of lingual braces, real-life cases, and so on. Let’s dig in.

Before Lingual Braces

The procedure before applying braces remains basic. You need to find out if lingual braces are the right choice for you. Below are the stages of preparation. 

Initial Consultation With An Orthodontist

An orthodontic consultation is indeed the vital first step towards getting lingual braces. This consultation is an opportunity for the orthodontist to assess your teeth, gums, and jaw and to create a treatment plan tailored to your specific needs

3D Imaging To Create A Custom Treatment Plan

After the first stage, you have to decide if you want to go ahead with lingual braces. If you do, the next step is to create a 3D image of your teeth. It helps your orthodontist design customized brackets and wires for your lingual braces.

Use Of Suresmile Robotics Tools For Wire Bending

Wire bending is a crucial element of applying lingual braces. Note that in lingual braces, wires need high flexibility so they can help brackets stay on the back surface of your teeth. Tech like SureSmile helps build customized wires that are more precise and efficient, unlike legacy methods to do the same. In fact, research published in Applied Mechanics and Materials studied the feasibility.

Types of Lingual Braces

Incognito Lingual Braces

Designed by 3M first, incognito lingual braces are popular for their remarkable flat design. Since they are made of gold alloy bracket, you get maximum comfort as:

1. The brackets of Incognito braces are smooth and low-profile, following the contours of your teeth for maximum comfort.
2. Minimal speech interference: The design of these braces minimizes interference with speech.
3. No risk of decalcification: Since the braces are on the back of the teeth, there’s no risk of decalcification or white spots appearing on the front of the teeth due to braces.

Incognito Lite Braces

Incognito Lite braces are the best solution to shape only the front teeth. The brackets and wires are attached to only the front six teeth. This suits all age groups and bears all the benefits of normal incognito lingual braces.

Harmony

American Orthodontics created Harmony, a digitally customized self-ligating lingual bracketing process. It uses PVS impressions and creates a 3D scan of your teeth. Using this, your orthodontist charts your treatment plan. Harmony technical center helps build indirect bonding trays and customized positioning jigs. These elements form a mechanical guide to go over anterior teeth.

Treatment with Lingual Braces

Duration Of The Treatment Process

Treatment duration will vary from case to case, depending on the complications and the degree of teeth alignment you need. However, it can range anywhere between 18-30 months. That said, if you have just basic alignment concerns, you can even wrap up the treatment within as little as 12 months.

Adjustments And Maintenance During Treatment

Lingual braces need adjustments and resetting. This means you need to pay regular visits to your orthodontist. Regular visits will help ensure you keep on track and make your treatment seamless.

Additionally, good oral health is the key to successful treatment. Your orthodontist will teach you everything you need to know to clean between brackets and wires.

Common Challenges And How To Overcome Them

Some challenges are associated with lingual braces. Major one includes a temporary speech adjustment. Since brackets are placed on the back surface, could interfere with the tongue and cause lisps. Luckily your orthodontist will give you tips and tools to overcome any speech adjustment quickly.

Secondly, you may need a few extra minutes to clean your teeth and braces. The brackets at the back of your teeth are challenging to reach with a brush or floss. So take extra care to clean your teeth and ensure no cavities or gum diseases. Your orthodontist will give you feedback and tips if needed at every appointment.

Lingual Braces Before and After: Real Patient Cases

Lingual braces solve a myriad dental issues in one go, along with solving alignment concerns. Here are a few examples of real-life cases of lingual braces before and after.

Crowded Teeth

This patient had a problem with overcrowding of teeth. The upper teeth had upper lingual braces, and the lower ones had traditional braces.

Gaping In Teeth

This patient had severe gaping in their teeth. Lingual braces helped them gain a perfect shape by closing the gap.

Bite Issues

Here, upper teeth clashed with lower teeth, leading to crossbites. This further caused the chipping of teeth. Filing material helped improve the shape and alignment of the teeth.

Front Teeth Spacing

This patient wanted straightened and well-positioned teeth. With the help of veneers and filing with Incognito lingual braces, he got the perfectly positioned and perfect smile.

Crooked Teeth

Narrow smiles and crooked teeth made it difficult for this patient to get perfectly shaped front teeth. Hidden braces helped this patient get the desired results in just 10 months.

Final Thoughts

In this blog, you were able to see before and after pictures of treatments using lingual braces. You also got to know:

• Some types of lingual braces
• What to expect before starting the lingual braces process

Lingual braces are an efficient treatment process to get a perfect, beautiful and healthy smile.  

Consider lingual braces as your top choice if you’re seeking a solution that aligns your teeth while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing smile throughout your treatment. Say goodbye to the days of visible metallic braces.

Lingual braces, attached to the backside of your teeth, offer a more discreet approach to orthodontic treatment. They utilize state-of-the-art technology, providing a high-tech and efficient treatment process.

However, it’s important to consult with your orthodontist before making any decisions. Discuss the pros and cons and identify the specific issues that lingual braces can address for your individual case.

Upon your consultation, your orthodontist can develop a comprehensive treatment plan and daily oral care routine tailored to your needs. Adherence to this plan is key to achieving the smile you’ve always desired.

Lingual Braces Before And After – Transformation from Start to Finish