Metal Braces

Metal braces have come a long way over the years. What’s great about our braces is that we use a special technology in the brackets that allows us to move your teeth faster and with less pain than with traditional braces. Once we take a look at your teeth, one of our friendly dentists will be able to assess what will be the perfect solution for straightening your teeth.

Common Questions About Braces:

How Long Do I Have To Wear Braces?

As much as we would love all of our patients to only need six-month braces, on average, braces typically can take 18 months to straighten teeth.

This can vary depending on factors like overbite or underbite, large gaps in teeth, crowded teeth, and more. What’s great about our dental clinic is that we are a full-service office so if we need to pull a tooth, we can do it here at OC Dental Center and then when you’re healed you can conveniently go right back to our orthodontics area in OC Dental Center.

What Can I Eat While Having Braces?

Avoid Eating:

• Nuts
• Popcorn
• Gummy or Chewy Candy
• Hard Candy
• Caramel and Caramel Chocolate Bars
• Thick Chunky Peanut Butter

Eat Carefully:

• Chips – try eating just one at a time
• Corn on the cob – slice corn off the cob first
• Sugar drinks like soda – tooth decay can occur from these drinks and you want to minimize any dental problems during the time you have braces

How Much Do Braces Cost?

Each patient case is different. Pricing can vary depending on the teeth straightening needs you have. We use a variety of hi-tech dental equipment such as digital X-rays and 3D imaging to figure out what is the best course of action for you. We will also talk about about your insurance options and any financing plans should you prefer an easy payment plan.

Will I Need Orthodontic Headgear?

No! It’s important that our patients know that we do not support the getting headgear to straighten teeth because headgear can damage the condyles (joint area) of the jaw and in many cases causes permanent damage. Many patients who have had headgear suffer from migraine headaches and jaw pain for the rest of their lives.

How Often Do Will I Need My Braces Tightened?

This timeframe may change each time you come in for a tightening. Our Orange County orthodontist will keep you updated with all of the protocol every step of the way so there’s never any guessing. And we love answering your questions, so ask us any orthodontic question that comes to your mind!

How Long Do I Need to Wear My Braces Retainer?

We advise our patients to wear their retainers at all times for one year and then at night for at least 2-5 years. If our patients still have their wisdom teeth and they have not been extracted, then we advise them to wear their retainers at all times until they have their wisdom teeth removed.

What Type of Retainer Will I Need?

Essix Clear Plastic Retainer vs. Hawley Retainers (Wired)

Normally if our patients are treated with ClearCorrect, they will have an Essix retainer similar to the look of ClearCorrect or Invisalign®. In cases that we use braces to treat the malocclusion (abnormal teeth alignment), our patients will receive Hawley retainers that are removable.

In rare cases, we recommend a permanent retainer for the lower front teeth. A permanent retainer is cemented from behind and it doesn’t show. It is there for years. This is recommended if patients have lower wisdom teeth that are not ready for extractions at the time their orthodontic treatment is completed.

In order to avoid those wisdom teeth crowding the lower front teeth, we place a permanent retainer in, which will be removed after the wisdom teeth are pulled out. We only recommend this type of retainer in rare occasions.

Holistic Approach to Orthodontics

Will I Need My Teeth Pulled Before Getting Braces?

We believe in a more holistic style of orthodontics in that we rarely extract teeth for straightening your teeth with braces. We use functional appliances to treat malocclusions (abnormal teeth alignment) and bite issues. This ensures that we don’t damage the condyles and de-compress the nerve endings resulting in migraine headaches and jaw pain and locking.

Ceramic/Clear Braces

Invisalign® Vs. ClearCorrect

A good amount of our patients request to straighten their teeth in an invisible way through an Invisalign® type of a way. We use an Invisalign® alternative called ClearCorrect. The ClearCorrect system works very similar to Invisalign® with one major advantage.

We are able to order only a few straightening trays at a time instead of all of the trays at once. This way, if your teeth straighten in a different way than originally planned, you won’t have to throw away all of your trays and order new ones. You can just order new trays at just the right pace!

Contact us today for a Braces or ClearCorrect invisible teeth straightening tray consultation!

Invisible Braces – Lingual Orthodontics

Lingual braces are hidden braces, or braces behind teeth. We have not seen these braces to be more advantageous than our metal braces or ClearCorrect, so we do not offer them to our patients.

Adult Braces Vs. Kid Braces

Generally we don’t recommend braces for kids or children under 13 years old because your child’s mouth is still developing and will undergo many changes while growing up. If braces are put on too soon, they may be on for longer than they need to be or if they are taken off, children’s teeth will have a higher tendency to shift and grow crooked again.

We don’t want your child to have to go back to get braces when they’re older if it could have been prevented. During our in-office consultation, one of our orthodontists will go over all of your options.

Santa Ana

Braces in Orange County, California

Call: (714) 352-4288