Getting straighter teeth used to be the sole province of teenagers and if you didn’t get yours done as a kid, that was it. You had to live with your wonky ones, or look a right twit in teenage metal-mouth braces for a couple of years.

Now, though, there are some great devices available for adults with mild to moderate misalignment issues. They don’t take forever to do their job and they don’t take over your mouth, filling it with so much metal that you can’t see the white enamel behind them.

Here at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guildford, we have 2 ways to straighten teeth both of which are very discreet. One is almost invisible. Let’s take a look at them.

Six Month Smiles

This brand of braces work on the front 6-8 social teeth, which are the teeth that most people can see when we talk and laugh. They are called Six Month Smiles because that’s how long the average treatment with this brand takes, although it can take as little as 4 months and as long as 9. These braces feature traditional brackets and wires, but updated for modern purposes. The brackets are smaller than that of old and they are made of clear ceramic. The wires are finer and tooth-coloured. Together they blend in with the teeth.

Invisalign

There are no brackets and wires with Invisalign. Instead you receive a series of mouth guard-style, transparent plastic aligners that snap on over the teeth. Each aligner in the series has a slightly different configuration of pressure points and they gradually nudge the teeth along the route to alignment. The average treatment time is 12 months, but it can take longer. The great thing about Invisalign is that, when they are in place, they are very hard to spot. You can go about your business without having to worry about casual observers staring at your teeth. They are also removable, which makes eating and cleaning your teeth a lot less hassle.

The best way to find out which, if either, of these devices is best for you is to come in for an orthodontics consultation.