Braces In Atlanta For Kids, Teens & Adults
Rise. Shine. Smile.
Types Of Braces
Smaller, Better, Faster
Today’s braces are all that and more! Have you ever seen pictures of people wearing braces in the ’80s? Braces today are nothing like that. Today, braces are smaller, more comfortable, and get results in less time. Metal braces are the most commonly used dental braces in Atlanta, but there are many other types of braces out there. You can get gold braces, braces with brackets that look like cool designs, self-ligating braces, and clear ceramic braces.
Traditional Metal Braces
At Silver Smiles, we use American mini-twin brackets. They are low profile, smaller, and more comfortable for our patients. We offer an array of colors that patients can choose from to customize and personalize their braces. These can be changed at each appointment so that our smiling patients can choose different colors throughout their treatment.
Clear Ceramic Braces
We also offer the Reflections Ceramic Bracket System, a unique combination of aesthetics, function, and strength. The clear bracket is a great alternative to metal braces but still has the same low-profile feature that makes them more comfortable than other clear brackets.
Champagne Gold Braces
Silver Smiles is now offering Champagne Gold brackets. These unique dental braces truly offer the best of both worlds – the durability of stainless steel and the aesthetics of gold. A unique proprietary ion-implantation process ensures these brackets will stay gold for the duration of treatment. When matched with gold wire and gold ligatures, Champagne Gold offers a complete patient-pleasing cosmetic system that requires literally no sacrifice on your part. For patients who prefer the true brilliant gold shine, we offer Champagne Gold 24K. These stainless steel brackets are plated with 24-karat gold. They offer the true luster of gold and stand apart from all other cosmetic brackets.
Self-Ligating Brackets
Self-ligating brackets are very similar to traditional braces, with one exception: no elastic bands. Instead, the innovative design of self-ligating brackets uses special clips on the brackets to help the archwire move your teeth into place. The clips reduce the friction and pressure placed on each tooth, allowing for fewer adjustment appointments and saving you time and discomfort from routine appointments.
Stride Custom Braces
With traditional brackets, you get a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment. It works, but it requires more adjustments by your orthodontist throughout your treatment. That means more orthodontic appointments and more time in braces. But with the Stride Custom Bracket system, your treatment is customized to your unique needs, so you get to your new smile faster than ever. Using a 3D printed tray, we can ensure each bracket is perfectly placed all at once.
Braces For Kids
Little Smiles, Big Results
We recommend every child see an orthodontist at age 7. While most children do not require treatment, there are certain orthodontic problems that should be corrected early. These problems include crossbites, crowding, and preserving space for unerupted permanent teeth and protruding teeth.
Early Treatment
Though an orthodontist can enhance a smile at any age, there is an optimal time period to begin treatment. Beginning treatment at this time ensures the greatest result and the least amount of time and expense. The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children should see an orthodontist by the time they are 7 years old. The reason for this is that children experience a lot of skeletal bone growth during this time, and this gives orthodontists the perfect window to address any problems before they become even bigger ones. By scheduling a consultation early, Dr. Meagan is able to monitor your child’s smile and be able to make prudent interventions at the most advantageous time for your child’s smile.
Top 5 Benefits of Early Orthodontic Intervention
- Creating room for crowded, erupting teeth
- Creating facial symmetry by influencing jaw growth
- Reducing the risk of trauma to protruding front teeth
- Preserving space for unerupted teeth
- Reducing the need for tooth removal and treatment time with braces
Braces For Teens
Being A Teenager Can Be Hard, Getting a Great Smile Doesn’t Have To Be
The average age for adolescent treatment is between 11 and 13. Generally, we like to wait to start braces until all of your teen’s permanent teeth have come in. Once your teen is ready, Dr. Meagan will examine your teen’s smile and develop a custom treatment plan that will give them a smile that will make them want to smile.
Braces Are Anything But Boring At Silver Smiles Orthodontics
Listen, we get it. Most people don’t want braces. In fact, teens are typically more sensitive than most about their appearance – and braces aren’t at the top of their list of desirable accessories. But, thanks to achievements in technology, today’s teenagers (and even adults) have incredible options when it comes to orthodontic treatment.
At Silver Smiles Orthodontics, we go out of our way to make the entire process easy and enjoyable. We also encourage everyone to check out our social media pages to keep up-to-date on cool contests and fun things going on at the office.
Braces For Adults
Being a Grownup Has Its Benefits
You Don’t Need Permission To Start Treatment
Are you too old to get a great smile? Absolutely not. In fact, it’s never too late to get a beautiful smile. And let’s face it, there’s no time like the present. Besides, over time, orthodontic problems can get worse. Here, we offer a variety of treatments designed for different age groups – including children, teenagers, and adults.
Simply put, orthodontic treatment at later stages in life can dramatically improve your personal appearance, self-esteem, and overall health of your gums and teeth. For example, crooked teeth or a bad bite can contribute to gum and bone loss, tooth decay, abnormal wear of your tooth enamel and surfaces, headaches, and jaw joint (TMJ/TMD) pain. So, don’t wait – request your free consultation today to find out if adult orthodontic treatment is right for you.
Adult treatment can correct several common orthodontic problems, including:
- Crooked teeth
- Bad bite
- Jaw joint pain (TMJ/TMD)
More Treatment Options Mean More Reasons To Smile
In the past, getting braces meant one thing: wearing traditional metal braces. Now, with more options for braces available than ever, you can customize your treatment to fit your lifestyle and preferences! Additionally, braces have greatly improved over the years, making them more effective and more comfortable than ever before.
Braces FAQ
Most patients notice some discomfort 24-48 hours after an appointment. This is because your teeth are moving. Because we use thermal wires, they are only active while at normal body temperature. Pressures can be relieved if you can make the temperature of your mouth below body temperature by sipping on cold ice water, putting ice in any beverage, drinking smoothies and eating ice cream frequently during the first two days with braces. This will prevent you from getting to the peak of soreness that others may associate with braces. All soreness should subside within a few days. Any over-the-counter pain reliever can also be used to help ease any discomfort that might still be present. We recommend that you use anything you would usually take for a headache.
Getting used to your braces is like breaking in a new pair of shoes. It might take up to two weeks before you feel like you have completely broken them in. You can place orthodontic wax over the brackets if it feels like they are irritating the inside of your mouth. Ball up the wax, then use your finger to press that ball of wax onto your braces. If you need additional wax, you can buy it at any pharmacy or grocery store.
It is very important to keep your teeth and gingiva (gums) clean during orthodontic treatment. Bacteria (dental plaque) often sticks to our teeth (especially around the gumline and between the teeth). Adding brackets to your teeth creates an extra spot for food, plaque, and bacteria to cling to. It is common to see plaque accumulation between the bracket and the gumline, so this is the most important area to focus on. Make sure to brush along the gums, in addition to the tops, sides, and bottoms of the brackets. It is incredibly important to brush your teeth regularly and as often as possible after eating to prevent damage to your teeth and inflammation of your gum tissue.
Flossing is important to clean between your teeth. Your teeth have four surfaces, and brushing alone only cleans two of those surfaces. Using Platypus orthodontic flossers), make flossing with braces easy. Use the skinny side of the flosser towards the wire to get in between the teeth.
Waterpiks and other water flossers are great products to help wash out food from around brackets. Think of them as small water guns to spray the food off your appliances. Also, proxy brushes (Christmas tree brushes) are useful for getting food out from behind the wire and are easy to carry with you.
We aren’t trying to trick you into cleaning your teeth (you should want to have nice fresh breath and clean shiny teeth!), but it is true that clean teeth move faster! Why? Plaque and bacteria cause gingival inflammation. Inflammation inhibits bone-forming cells that are necessary for tooth movement. Inflammation also creates thicker and larger tissues that the tooth has to move through to straighten out. And Inflammation can also cause receding gums and other periodontal problems that can require costly restorative work later.
Bacteria in your mouth is an irritant, and it creates acids that can break down the enamel of the teeth. This can create areas of demineralization (often around a bracket where the bacteria is sitting) that show up as white areas on the teeth. Unfortunately, they cannot be removed without costly restorations. Cleaning properly during treatment will prevent these spots from developing!
Mouthguards are recommended for patients involved in contact sports. We have mouthguards available in our office for you!
Eating with braces is more about HOW you eat, rather than WHAT you eat. Remember to take smaller bites and chew a bit more softly. Hard foods like apples, carrots, pizza crusts and bagels should be cut up or sliced and chewed with the back teeth. Avoid extremely hard things like nuts and hard candies, or chewing on ice or pen caps. You should also stay away from really sticky foods like taffy, toffee and caramels. You can continue to eat most of the foods you love including soft gummies and sugar-free bubble gum!
No-No List:
- Anything that will cause your teeth to stick together when you bite into it: Starburst, toffee, Now and Later, hard caramels
- Popcorn
- Nuts – peanuts, pecans, cashews, walnuts
- Hard candies – Jolly Ranchers, Life Savers, Peppermints
- Ice
- Pizza crust and bagels – please eat the soft insides only
- Beef jerky
- Do not suck lemons/limes – acid is very harmful to tooth enamel
- Avoid chewing on pens, pencils, straws, and fingernails
Changing Eating Habits:
- Hard fruits/vegetables – cut into small bite-sized pieces
- Hard-crust bread – cut into small bites or eat the softer insides
- Corn on the cob – cut corn off the cob to eat
- Sugary drinks/sodas – Limit to special occasions and drink with meals
- Meat on the bone – cut meats off the bone and cut it into small pieces to eat
Hard foods may do damage by bending the wires and/or loosening cement under the bands/brackets. Sticky foods may damage the appliance by bending wires and loosening the cement. Avoid foods high in sugar whenever possible. If you do eat sugary food, eat it at the end of the meal and brush after the end of your meal. When it is not convenient to brush, always rinse your mouth out with water after sugary foods and beverages.
