Too long in the tooth for braces in Cheltenham

No matter how many years it has been since you were first old enough to vote, you will never be too old to get your wonky teeth put straight. Maybe you think that having lovely straight teeth is for youngsters only, but this is not the case. Even if you are middle aged or older, born before the time that cosmetic braces started to appear, there is no reason why you cannot still take advantage of today’s revolution in braces in Cheltenham.

Here at Cheltenham Spa Dental & Implant Clinic, we can help you with misaligned teeth, no matter how complex or mild the misalignments are. The more complex malocclusions will need to be dealt with by our qualified braces dentist, but the mild to moderate ones are easily handled by the plethora of cosmetic braces on the market. Chances are, if you are an adult and were not made to wear braces as a youngster, then your teeth are only mildly to moderately misaligned.

Yes, even if you’re in your 90s you can get your teeth realigned

People think that teeth straightening can only be done in your early- to mid-teens and after that the teeth are set hard in the jawbone. This is not true. It is true that after about the age of 18, the jawbone sets hard and can no longer be reshaped with braces in Cheltenham, but the teeth can be moved no matter what age you are.

How teeth move

Teeth are moved by creating sustained pressure on them. With traditional bracket and wire braces, the pressure is created by tightening the wires through the brackets, creating a pulling pressure. The angle of the brackets determines in what direction the pressure will be created. Modern aligners create a pushing pressure with bumps and ridges carefully placed inside them.

After about 72 hours of pressure, the jawbone responds by resorbing bone in front of the direction of pressure and rebuilding it behind the direction of pressure. This way, the tooth never becomes loose in its socket. This process can take a bit longer as you get older, but it still takes place. Come and see what braces in Cheltenham can do for you.