You want a straight smile … but the thought of wearing braces for years is discouraging you from starting orthodontic care.
If you live in or near Fort Myers or North Naples, FL, there are other options to give you the nice smile you’ve been dreaming about. We offer short-term orthodontics to help you create a better, straighter smile.
George A. Hoop, DDS, offers solutions that could give you a new smile in as little as four months! And please don’t think you are too old to make a change. Our treatments are great for adults, too.
We’ll tell you more about our options below. If you want to find out which one could work for you, please call (239) 594-8817 to schedule a consultation.
Six Month Smiles®
Traditional braces use both brackets and wires. These parts work together to gradually push and pull your teeth where they should be to change the alignment of your teeth.
While braces are certainly effective, they can take two years or longer in some cases. For some people, that’s enough of a reason not to start.
As the name indicates, Six Month Smiles do not take as long to change your smile as traditional braces. Like traditional braces, Six Month Smiles also use brackets and wires.
The way they work isn’t magic. The difference is the focus of this system.
Six Month Smiles moves only the most visible teeth in your mouth. These are the teeth in the front of your smile, which also happen to be lighter than the teeth in the back of your mouth.
Using the same tools as traditional braces, they can move a limited number of teeth to make your smile appear straighter in about six months. This can vary by a few months depending on the particular issues you want to correct and how severe your alignment issues are.
With that in mind, Six Month Smiles can help you fix all of these issues:
- Gaps between teeth
- Crowded teeth
- Crooked teeth
- Overbites
The brackets for Six Month Smiles are ceramic, making them less noticeable than metal braces. Knowing you would be wearing these for a fraction of the time of traditional braces and that they are more discreet could make this a great solution for your smile situation.
You also should know that Dr. Hoop is one of the first doctors in the area to achieve level-2 training in the Six Month Smiles system.
Fastbraces®
If your primary concern is finishing your orthodontic care as soon as possible, then Fastbraces are for you. This system can change your smile in as little as 120 days! Again, your treatment time may vary depending on your particular situation.
Fastbraces also use brackets and wires like traditional braces. With this option, the difference is the brackets themselves.
Standard braces have square or rectangular brackets. This allows them to move your teeth in stages. During the first phase of treatment, the crowns of your teeth are moved. This phase can take about a year. In the second phase, your roots are repositioned to help maintain your new smile. This stage also can take about a year to complete.
Fastbraces uses a unique triangular bracket. This combined with high-tech wires changes how your teeth move. This combination allows Fastbraces to move your crowns and your roots simultaneously.
Fastbraces can fix all the same issues as Six Month Smiles along with a few other issues.
Invisalign®
Many people can change their smiles in about 12 months with Invisalign. However, this options works quite differently than the other two that we have mentioned so far.
If you want your treatment to be as discreet as it can be, then this is the option you may want to consider.
Where braces use brackets and wires, Invisalign uses something else. Instead, you would receive a custom-designed set of plastic aligners made to fit your teeth and keep them moving.
Since the aligners are clear, they blend in when placed over your teeth. Most people won’t realize you are wearing them unless you tell them about it or take off your aligners in front of them.
The aligners are created using computer software so each aligner will gently push your teeth a little bit at a time. You will need to change aligners every few weeks to keep your teeth moving in the right direction.
Unlike braces, you can remove your aligners for a total of a few hours each day. This means you can remove them during meals and to brush and floss your teeth daily. Many people find this is one of the biggest advantages of this system. It allows them to keep eating their favorite foods throughout their treatment.
Many people also appreciate that the aligners are made of smooth plastic. Some people find brackets irritating against the soft tissues on the inside of their mouths. For them, Invisalign is a more comfortable way to straighten their smile.
Get Started to Change Your Smile
No matter which option you choose, the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll get to see your new smile.
Finding the right solution for you can depend on a number of issues. The severity of your alignment issues is something we need to consider. We also need to discuss what’s most important to you during your treatment.
Do you want your treatment done as soon as it can be? Do you want to focus purely on the cosmetic benefits of changing your smile? Do you want your treatment to be something you feel comfortable wearing at work and in social situations?
Dr. Hoop has helped several patients in and around Fort Myers and North Naples, FL transform their smiles and boost their self-confidence. He will be happy to examine your mouth, answer your questions, and discuss which solutions could work best for you.
You can contact us online or call (239) 594-8817 to request an appointment at either of our locations. Let us help you create the smile that you want to see when you look in the mirror.