How Can I Get Straighter Teeth With Braces?

At Smile Health Orthodontics, Dr. Deborah Solomon will craft an individual treatment plan based solely on your needs. Likewise, she will also make sure to answer all of your questions, giving you the ease of mind every step of the way.

Making the decision to undergo orthodontic treatment with braces in Los Angeles can be tough. Your chosen orthodontist should also put patients first and have impeccable chairside manners.

Any type of orthodontic treatment can be a little stressful, so you will want someone who, with their knowledge, can take your anxiety away and really listen to your concerns.

Dr. Solomon’s mission is to provide the finest orthodontic treatment with the help of advanced technology to her patients and build lifelong relationships that go far beyond the orthodontic chair. Even though we like to focus on more cutting-edge options for your treatment, we should never forget about the basics.

Let’s take a look at some of the options offered at Smile Health Orthodontics.

What Are Dental Braces?

Dental braces are orthodontic devices we can use to correct crowded or crooked teeth and even a misaligned jaw. Braces can be great during adolescence, but more and more adults are turning to braces to achieve a healthy and beautiful smile.

According to the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO), more and more adults engage in orthodontic care to get the smile they’ve wanted for a long time.

How Do Dental Braces in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles Work?

Braces work by constantly putting pressure on your teeth, slowly encouraging them to move into the correct position over time. It’s the archwire that puts most of the pressure on your teeth, while many of the other parts, like the brackets, work to hold it in place.

Furthermore, while each patient is different, you can usually expect to have your braces adjusted or tightened every 6-8 weeks. We do this to monitor the movement of your teeth. Otherwise, your teeth may shift in an unwanted direction, which may affect the overall health of your teeth, and may even extend treatment time.

What Types of Dental Braces Are Available?

Without a doubt, for years, braces have been the most popular way to straighten teeth and correct misaligned bites in children, and now so even in adults.

The good news is that they’re no longer the shiny mouthful of metal of years past. Many more options are now available. Depending on your specific dental needs, your orthodontist will be able to recommend the type that would best suit you and your lifestyle. Below are the most common types of braces in Beverly Hills.

Metal or Traditional Braces

Traditional braces require stainless steel in their manufacture. We use brackets and attach them to the front of your teeth; then, we secure the wires guiding the tooth movement with some elastic bands.

These bands create more pressure to help straighten and align your teeth, and you can choose the colors to personalize your appliance.

Ceramic Braces

Ceramic braces in Beverly Hills work much the same way as traditional braces with the advantage that the brackets are now also made in tooth-colored ceramic, so they aren’t as noticeable.

Ceramic braces can also use stainless steel, clear materials, or gold. It’s important to consider that ceramic braces may stain easier than traditional braces due to the translucent materials used to manufacture them.

Lingual braces

The brackets on these braces are attached to the backside of your teeth, facing your tongue. Lingual braces are harder to see.

Self-Ligating Braces

Self-ligating braces use a built-in system to secure the archwire to the brackets. There are actually two types of self-ligating brackets: active and passive. Both types have a small door or gate-like mechanism to close over the bracket:

• Active brackets use a sliding spring clip mechanism. They press against the archwire, applying an active force.
• Passive brackets use a simple sliding mechanism, which doesn’t press on the archwire.

How Long Will It Take for Braces to Straighten My Teeth?

Each patient is different, and hence each smile requires a different treatment time and length to reach perfection. For the majority of patients, straightening your teeth with braces may take anywhere between 6 months to 2 years.

Your orthodontist will be your best ally in giving you an accurate estimate of how long your treatment will take based on your individual smile needs. For optimal results, always make sure to follow your Drs instructions.

The Cost Of Treatment with Braces

Adult Braces tend to cost more than treatment for braces because your jaw is fully formed as an adult, making it harder to move your teeth to the correct position. According to the Healthline website, the cost of braces by type can usually range as per below:

• Metal braces $3,000 to $7,500
• Ceramic braces $3,000 to $8,500
• Invisalign braces $3,000 to $7,000
• Lingual braces $5,000 to $13,000

However, many other factors influence how much your braces will cost. Other factors that can influence the price of your braces include:

• Where you live
• Age
• Type of braces you get
• Length of Treatment
• The severity of your dental issues

At the time of your consultation, Dr. Solomon and her team will explain in detail both what you can expect from your treatment and the exact cost of it, including complete treatment time and other considerations we will take a closer look at below.

Other Considerations for Braces

No matter what treatment type you decide to begin your orthodontic journey with, there are only two more very important factors that you need to consider.

Please keep them in mind from the day you begin your orthodontic treatment with braces in Beverly Hills. These other imperative factors will also influence your final results, so let’s look at what they are.

Dietary Restrictions for Braces

Although frustrating, diet restrictions and braces go hand in hand. When it comes to protecting your braces from damage, there are some foods you should avoid with braces:

• Sticky foods such as gum, caramel, and even peanut butter can cause the wires and bands of your braces to become damaged.
• Hard foods such as apples, carrots, and other raw vegetables can also damage the wires, bands, and even brackets.
• Crunchy foods such as chips or popcorn have also been known to cause damage to orthodontic appliances.
• Tough foods such as bagels, steak, and even corn on the cob can also cause damage to the wires and brackets.

Aside from damaging the wires and brackets in your braces, these foods can also get stuck in your braces and become very difficult to remove.

If you don’t remove leftover food particles after a meal, they can cause oral health issues, including pain in the area where the food particle remains or even tooth decay and infection.

You can also read here for more information on what to eat during your orthodontic treatment.

Proper Oral Hygiene Routine

Almost as important as following all instructions provided by your orthodontist, and even following the dietary restrictions is maintaining a proper oral hygiene routine.

Although a proper routine should always be a priority, it is extremely important while having treatment with braces in Beverly Hills.

This recommendation is valid whether you have braces or not. Please remember to floss between each tooth at least once a day, and brush after every meal, including snacks.

Additionally, with braces, you may also need to use a small interproximal brush to clean around the brackets and under the wires. Never skip flossing, even if it takes more time with your braces.

Remember that keeping up with great oral hygiene will not only keep your teeth as clean as possible and with fewer amounts of stains during your orthodontic treatment but will also prevent other health issues that can be caused by dental disease.

Trust The Professionals at Beverly Hills

Swing by our office to learn more about which orthodontic appliance works best for you

If all the considerations that come along with braces don’t sound like the right fit for you, at Smile Health Orthodontics, we also offer other solutions such as Invisalign clear aligners for adults.

This treatment option is technologically more advanced and comes with fewer restrictions than regular orthodontics. To learn more about this option, we invite you to visit and book an appointment now.

You can also enjoy the perks of at-home orthodontics. Our concierge orthodontics service lets patients enjoy a full consultation from the comfort of their own house. We’ll go to you with all the necessary equipment and determine how Invisalign or other appliances will help you get the smile you’ve always wanted.