Surgery to straighten your teeth may seem extreme, but there are benefits to including dental surgery as part of your accelerated orthodontic treatment. While typically you can’t escape wearing braces totally, with the surgery you will only have to wear them for a shorter period of time.
Teeth-straightening surgery works best for people with an overbite or underbite or jaw misalignment. If you only have a couple of crooked teeth surgery really isn’t necessary to get the results you are looking for.
What Does the Surgery Involve?
The surgery requires only local anesthesia and involves repositioning the gums and bones which hold the teeth in place. While it is a minor surgery, it is still surgery so there is always a slight risk of complications, including pain, swelling, bleeding and infection.
Will I Still Need to Wear Braces?
In most cases, the surgery is just one stage of treatment and you might need to wear braces after and sometimes before, but it is usually less time than when you just do braces.
What is Orthognathic Surgery?
If your crooked teeth result from misalignment of your jaw, your dentist might suggest corrective jaw surgery which will fix any skeletal deformities to realign your jaw. This surgery must be done in a hospital setting by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon and typically involves surgical plates or screws and wires.
You may need to stay in the hospital for a couple of days to be monitored and then recovery at home for about 6 weeks. As with any surgery, there are risks for infection and complications.
This surgery focuses on correcting functional problems like trouble speaking or chewing and sleep apnea. Patients who also experience a lot of headaches and joint paint from the misalignment of your jaw are also good candidates. If you have a protruding or extruding chin, you could also benefit from this type of surgery.
How Expensive Is Teeth-straightening Surgery?
If you need orthognathic surgery then most insurance policies will at least cover part of the cost. However if you are just getting teeth-straightening surgery to accelerate the process of wearing braces, the cost will have to be out of pocket. Tall to your orthodontist about what types of payment options are available for you.
Do I Have Other Options?
There are other accelerated orthodontic treatment options as well. AcceleDent is a FDA-cleared medical device that you can use at home to stimulate the bone remodeling needed to properly align your teeth. The SoftPulse technology used in the device allows a consistent gentle pressure to be applied to the teeth. This pressure in conjunction with the pressure being asserted by the braces allows the repositioning of teeth to happen more quickly. Most patients see results after using it for just 20 minutes a day. You can cut your treatment length almost in half with this device.
How does it work: You insert the mouthpiece attached to the lightweight device around your braces or aligners. AcceleDent also contains a usage indicator that tracks how many sessions and how many minutes per session you have worn the device. This data can also easily be shared with your orthodontist. This device is only available by prescription from your orthodontist.
Propel Chairside Excellator is another accelerated orthodontic treatment option. This one has to be done in the orthodontist’s office though. Sometimes your doctor can use it during your normal orthodontic appointments, but that is not always the case. Ask him or her if you need to set up a separate appointment to take advantage of this treatment. The Propel system also accelerates the bone metabolism and shortens the duration of treatment.
Bottom Line…
If you are really serious about cutting down the time you have to wear braces, you’re best bet is to consult with a couple of orthodontists even before you choose the type of braces you will wear. Let them know your time constraints and talk to them about the pros and cons of Invisalign aligners vs. metal braces. Then ask them their opinion on accelerated orthodontics techniques and what they think would be best for your situation. Discuss if there are any risks with using any of these techniques. This way your orthodontic plan right from the start is geared to a fast, but safe and effective approach.
Whatever you do though, don’t try to move your teeth on your own. Don’t let your impatience to be done with treatment push you into something you might regret later. With homemade remedies and DIY approaches, you have no real guidance or safety net. There is no one telling you that you are doing right or wrong. It is much better to use an orthodontic-approved approach and have what you are doing monitored by the orthodontist. Why risk causing damage to your teeth and delaying your treatment instead of accelerating it?
Luckily, just making sure that you follow your orthodontist’s instructions exactly can also accelerate the treatment process.
By not taking proper care of your braces and teeth, you could be adding time to treatment instead of shortening it. For example, eating hard candy could damage the brackets and not cleaning your teeth properly could lead to cavities and other complications.
Make sure you wear the elastics your orthodontist might give you and don’t skip out on any of your appointments. If there are long gaps between you appointments, it could delay you treatment tremendously. Wear an orthodontic mouthguard while playing sports to protect against bent wires and busted brackets as well as damaged teeth and try to cut up your food into bite sized pieces to avoid any damage from the food you are eating.
Also avoid clenching your jaw which can also affect how your teeth move. While all these things are what you should be doing anyway, it might surprise you how much your treatment can be delayed when you don’t follow the instructions.
For best teeth-straightening results, do your research on the best orthodontists in your area and schedule a few consultations so you can find someone who you trust, who will be dedicated to protecting your oral health and to giving you the best results possible no matter which treatment plan you choose.
Learn more about the teeth straightening surgery and other accelerated orthodontics at Orthodontics Limited, PC.
