Checking off the days until treatment is complete? Here’s why your braces take months to transform your smile
Sometimes, it feels like your braces are taking forever. We understand! The time spent with orthodontia on your teeth and monthly appointments on your schedule feels a bit consuming. But when you learn more about exactly what those brackets and wires are doing, the months of treatment all make sense.
Your Bolingbrook orthodontic treatment can be completed without you feeling frustrated or anxious for the end. Our team strives to make patients feel at home in the office, and comfortable voicing any concerns they may have. No matter where you live in the southwest Chicago suburbs, one of our locations is close to your home. Check in if you ever have any questions, and read on for some further orthodontic education.
Why Do Braces Take So Long?
A key component of orthodontic treatment that many patients don’t realize is the full extent of the work braces need to accomplish to achieve ideal results. There’s much more going on below the gum line than there is in your mouth, as your teeth and bones gently shift to support healthy positioning – and those changes aren’t visible to the naked eye. Instead, they’re apparent in the fit and feel of your bite, and overall function of your teeth. But the changes take hold so gradually that you may not realize they’ve impacted your smile.
The actual straightening of your teeth is typically completed well within in the first year of treatment. But your braces may remain on your teeth if Dr. Thomas needs to adjust your bite, close extraction spaces, or make other tricky, minute changes. Wearing braces after your results are complete will also help stabilize the changes, and ensure long-term results. There’s nothing worse than seeing crookedness creep back into your smile after braces – and some extra wear will help you prevent disasters.
If you’re currently wearing braces and hoping to learn how much longer you’ll be in them, just check in with your orthodontist at your next appointment.
