Orthodontic treatment is the process of repositioning the teeth in the mouth to improve their alignment and function as well as their appearance. The straightening of the teeth is achieved by placing a form of dental appliance on the teeth. These orthodontic appliances can be in the form of fixed dental braces like ceramic/metal fixed braces or the removable clear plastic aligner systems such as InvisalignR or SureSmileR. Traditionally, fixed braces have been made from metal which are less desirable aesthetically, especially for adult patients. In more recent years, ceramic and almost metal free fixed braces have been developed for a better aesthetic. They are usually referred to as invisible fixed braces or clear braces as they are much less noticeable than metal fixed braces. One must notice that referring to ceramic fixed braces as “Invisiable” does not imply they are totally not visible to the eye. Ceramic fixed braces to compare with metal fixed braces are much less noticeable.
The straightening of the teeth occurs by applying a controlled and measured force that very specifically moves each tooth into what is considered to be their correct position. The job of the orthodontic appliance is to apply that controlled force needed to allow a predictable tooth movement. Straightened teeth not only make ones smile nicer, but also allow one to benefit from better teeth function in addition to making it easier to keep good oral hygiene and oral health.
Some of the benefits of invisible or clear fixed braces, which in many cases can produce a more effective, efficient and faster result than removable clear aligner systems, can be summarised as;
An orthodontist is a dentist with further post graduate training to treat irregularities of teeth alignment. In the UK, an orthodontist is registered as a specialist dentist in the field of orthodontic treatment. There is also another group of dentists that gain their knowledge by accumulating valuable experience in treating different conditions such as crowding and spacing of the teeth. This group of dentists, not listed as a specialist orthodontist, are said to have a special interest in orthodontic dentistry.
The more recent technology bound removable clear plastic orthodontic aligner systems are designed to be provided by general dental practitioners as the artificial intelligence aspects of these systems assist the general dentist to plan the teeth movement.
At Bayswater Dental Clinic, located in Central London in the UK, we have an experienced team of dentist that offer our patients both conventional dental invisible fixed braces along with more technologically bound clear aligner systems. We can provide our adult and teenager patients with whatever type of braces they might want to consider while also offering them what we think to be the best solution for their need.
There are several types of teeth misalignment and malocclusion, commonly referred to as crooked teeth, which can be treated by fixed invisible braces.
This is when there is a discrepancy between the size of the teeth and the size of the jaws, meaning the teeth are too big and there is not enough jaw space to accommodate them all. Depending on its severity, it could need tooth extraction or interdental tooth reductions (IPRs) to create space for teeth straightening.
This is the reverse of crowding and there is extra space between the teeth. Here the size of the teeth is too small for the size of the jaw. Sometimes, if it is a minor case and only associated with few front teeth, it may be possible to close the gaps with composite veneers/bondings as an alternative quick solution as fixed orthodontic braces are a slow process and takes time to complete. Composite bondings are ideal when there is a gap with the top 2 front teeth only, known as dental diastema.
This is when the front teeth do not come together when the mouth is closed, hence a space between the top and bottom front teeth. In this group of patients, individuals usually cannot bite with their front teeth into food, like sandwiches. This is commonly seen in patients with the habit of thumb sucking in either childhood or adulthood.
This is when the top front teeth cover too much of the lower front teeth. In severe cases, this can have traumatic consequences if the teeth touch the gum, causing substantial irreparable damage to the gum health, known as gum stripping where the roots of the teeth are exposed.
This is when one or more of the top and bottom front teeth overlap each other incorrectly and are, therefore, in reverse positon. The tip of the bottom front teeth, in an ideally aligned situation, should be just behind the tip of the top front teeth.
This is, when the teeth are in contact, instead of the outer edges of the top back teeth fall outside of the outer edge of the bottom back teeth, they fall inside them. This can result in compromised chewing function and biting the cheeks when food is chewed. The top back teeth must be moved towards the cheeks to correct their position.
It is understandable that every person wanting to consider clear fixed braces treatment must have a good understanding of the cost implication, procedures involved and the aftercare needed. Similar to any other dental treatment, the cost is determined by;
The greater the value of the above points, the more expensive the cost of the invisible ceramic fixed braces will be. Although this is a good guide to explain the fees involved for fixed dental braces, we can understand that patients might prefer to know the exact cost of having braces so that they are able to financially plan for the treatment. In light of this, to make fees more straight forward and easier to follow for our patients, we have introduced fixed fee package offers for ceramic fixed orthodontic braces as follows:
Uniquely, at Bayswater Dental Clinic in London we are offering the following fixed fee special offer packages on one of the least visible fixed braces, the 3M-Clarity ceramic braces:
For treatments taking up to 12 months to complete, a fixed fee of
For treatments taking between 12-17 months to complete, a fixed fee of
The first type of orthodontic brace developed was manufactured from metal alloy and over time, the combination of the brackets and the metal wire of the braces got the nickname “train tracks”! Technological advances and the development of new dental materials along with patient’s desire for more aesthetic and invisible braces resulted in making ceramic fixed braces. Nowadays the brackets in fixed braces are made from tooth coloured ceramic and then the metal wires that go into them are coated with a layer of tooth coloured plastic. The combined effect of these two make the new generation of fixed orthodontic braces much less noticeable, hence referring to them as “Invisible Ceramic Fixed Braces“ which makes them aesthetically more acceptable. 3M-Clarity Ceramic Fixed Braces are one of the most advanced form of ceramic fixed braces and they are one of the least visible fixed braces available in today’s market. It offers a high degree of precision and accuracy to achieve highly predictable tooth movement. In other words, the ceramic brace moves the tooth as the dentist intends to do. Achieving this depends highly on the design quality and the manufacturing technology used in making the brackets of the brace system.
At Bayswater Dental Clinic, for simplicity and the convenience of our patients, we only use 3M-Clarity ceramic fixed braces, one of the leading high tech fixed dental brace systems, in addition to being one of the least visible types.
Fixed orthodontic braces are typically precision manufactured, small devices with a series of specifically cut grooves and anchorage points on them, known as Brackets. Observing some orthodontic rules and principles, the brackets are very precisely positioned and glued on to the outer tooth surface towards the cheeks and lips. In lingual fixed orthodontic braces, the brackets are glued to the inner surface of the teeth towards the tongue and the palate, making them virtually invisible as they are out of sight.
By placement of an orthodontic wire into the precision-cut grooves on the brackets and securing them with elastic bands or so, the wire exerts a measured force, moving the tooth crown and its root in the planned direction.
In recent decades, due to advances in artificial intelligence, 3D-graphics and 3D-printers technologies, a number of companies have introduced the new removable clear plastic aligner systems, also referred to as clear braces. The most well-known types are Invisalign or SureSmile aligners which work in a similar way to each other.
These tailor-made, almost invisible aligners allow placing a very specific and measured force on the teeth to move them. The more complex the teeth movement, the higher the number of aligners needed, hence higher the cost. Clear aligner systems tend to be very efficient and fast in moving teeth that require tilting, although aligner manufacturers claim you can treat any orthodontic case with them just as good as with fixed braces. In practise, however, removable clear aligner systems can be less efficient than fixed braces when complex tooth movements such as extrusion, intrusion or bodily movement of the teeth and their roots are required. In reality, fixed braces in many cases are more efficient, precise, faster and cost effective in achieving the best result rather than the removable clear aligner brace systems.
This case can be a good example to demonstrate when fixed braces can be more beneficial than clear braces. One can see that clear aligners, in this case Invisalign, have been able to do complex treatment and they have straightened the crowded teeth nicely. But the aligners have not been very effective to close the space between the top and bottom teeth as extrusion of the teeth are needed here. Alternatively fixed braces could have been more effective and efficient in extruding the teeth, closing the spaces and improve the bite and function of the teeth in addition to their alignment. It will be a lengthy and costly process to extrude these teeth for a better bite and appearance with removable plastic aligner brace systems thus fixed braces can be quicker and therefore less expensive here.
Bayswater Dental Clinic, located in the centre of London with excellent road and public transport services such as London Underground, bus Services and long opening hours including late evenings and weekends, it will always feel like it is the fixed brace dental clinic nearest to you. The nearest tube stations are within a 2-15 minutes walking distance from the clinic. They are;
In addition you can benefit from our exclusive low cost fixed brace package offers that are fixed fees with many benefits included and, therefore, substantially reduce the cost of teeth straightening.
The cost of removable clear plastic aligner braces, fixed dental braces and any other orthodontic system largely depends on;
As a guide, it can be said that for short orthodontic treatments with mild to moderate complexity taking up to six months to finish, the removable clear plastic aligner braces can be more cost effective and cheaper than Invisible ceramic fixed braces. For more complex cases, fixed dental braces can be a more cost effective option. This is because using removable plastic aligner braces in complex cases, very likely, will need treatment repetition for good results, therefore prolonging the length of treatment and involving higher costs.
Exclusively at Bayswater Dental Clinic located in central London, our experienced team of dentists, not only offer the best patient care, but also offer the most competitive fixed prices in London and the UK for removable clear plastic aligner braces and invisible ceramic fixed braces in the format of package offers.
To straighten teeth, clear plastic aligner systems or fixed brace systems are used as they have the ability to move teeth and, therefore are dynamic appliances. Removable plastic retainers or fixed retainers, on the other hand, aim to stop the teeth from moving and, therefore are static appliances. Retainers of any form do not have the ability to move teeth and they are used at the end of an orthodontic treatment to reduce the risk of teeth moving again, a process known as relapse.
It doen’t take long to get braces in private dentistry, once an assessment is made by a dentist. Within National Health Service (NHS), it is understood that only children or teenagers can receive orthodontic treatment when they meet a very specific criteria, based on the severity of misalignment. In other words, fixed braces are offered within NHS for correction of bite and function of the teeth and not just simply for straightening teeth and nicer smile. The length of time it takes to finish a course of treatment very much depends on how simple or complex the case is. The more misaligned the teeth, the longer it takes to complete the suggested treatment.
More desirable invisible ceramic fixed braces can be used to straighten teeth in adults of any age as well as teenagers. Adult patients, however, prefer less noticeable and more invisible braces and with advances in dental technologies, this is now a possibility. The tooth coloured ceramic brackets and plastic coated wires of the invisible ceramic fixed braces are an ideal and preferred choice for adults as they are less noticeable and, therefore, are more socially acceptable. An alternative option, when suitable, would be clear plastic aligner systems that are custom-made.
All information and prices are correct at the time of publication. They are however subject to changes with passage of time.
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