Are you looking to straighten your teeth as an adult but need something a bit more customised than an invisible aligner?
In adult years, it can be harder than anticipated to wear a fitted brace; there are meetings, social interactions and other crucial introductions that can be somewhat thrown off if you wear a brace that is made of metal and is on the front of your teeth.
But what about a fitted brace that is on the back of your teeth?
At Cheam Village Dental Studios, our dentist in Cheam can fit suitable patients with hidden or lingual braces. These provide all of the same functions as an orthodontic brace without the discretion issue as they are fitted behind the teeth rather than in front!
In this guide, our dentist in Cheam will introduce you to the WIN appliance, so you can decide whether it is a treatment you want to explore. Enjoy!
What is the WIN appliance?
The WIN appliance is a lingual brace that can be fitted by our dentist in Cheam to the back of your teeth.
It uses a self-ligating system, so once it is tightened, it never puts too much pressure on your teeth.
Adjustments
As the WIN appliance is a fitted brace, you will need to undertake a few adjustments and tightening whilst you wear it.
On average, these will be performed every 6-8 weeks by a member of our team. If you find the adjustments to be uncomfortable, we recommend using over-the-counter pain relievers, such as ibuprofen or paracetamol.
If you feel excessive discomfort, then please inform our team so that we can assess the cause.
Cleaning
We aren’t going to tell fibs here; wearing a lingual brace can present an issue with cleaning your teeth and the brace itself.
With regular braces, you have the advantage of seeing the brace by simply showing your teeth, but with a lingual brace, it is a lot trickier. To help with keeping your teeth and the braces clean, our team will show you how to remove food debris from them and offer regular hygienist appointments. That way, any hidden plaque will be quickly removed and not impact your dental health.
Timescale
How long you wear this brace will vary based on the severity of the issue that is being corrected.
But, in general, lingual braces can take anywhere between 1-3 years to correct a misalignment, with trips to see our team for adjustments every 6-8 weeks on average. You have to remember that this brace is capable of correcting more extreme cases of misalignment and protrusion with some much-needed discretion. So, we think it is well worth the wait to achieve the beautiful smile that you have always wanted!
Results
The results of wearing the WIN appliance are equal to those achieved with a regular fitted brace that is placed on the front of the teeth. And as the WIN appliance is fitted, the results can be striking as larger gaps can be corrected, alongside deeper overbites and underbites and even protrusions and misalignments with the molar teeth.
However, once the brace comes off, you will probably need to wear a retainer to ensure that your teeth do not move back into their former positions.