Many people have crowded or crooked teeth. Orthodontic treatment will straighten the teeth or move them into a better position. This can not only improve their appearance but also the way the teeth bite together, while also making them easier to clean. 

​In some patients the upper front teeth can stick out and look unsightly. These ‘prominent’ teeth are more likely to be damaged, but orthodontic treatment can move them back into line. In others, the way the upper and lower jaws meet can cause teeth to look unsightly and lead to an incorrect bite. Orthodontic treatment may be able to correct both.

• Metal braces

• Tooth colored Braces “Ceramic”

• Transparent Braces “Clear”

• Lingual Braces

When the teeth don’t meet correctly, this can put strain on the muscles of the jaw, causing jaw and joint problems and in some cases headaches. Orthodontic treatment can help you to bite more evenly and reduce the strain.

Clear Braces

Clear Braces treatment is a great option for adults or teens who want to straighten their teeth but don’t want to wear traditional braces. These “adult braces” consist of strong plastic trays that are fabricated especially for you. They are indeed invisible. It’s exciting to be able to get your teeth straightened without anyone seeing that you are wearing “braces”! This adult orthodontics option appeals to many adults and older teens. 

Advantages of Clear Braces

• They are virtually invisible, and no one knows you’re wearing them except you

• They are easier to clean than traditional braces because they are removable.

• They don’t irritate your cheeks or gums as much as traditional adult braces, so there is little (if any) need for dental wax.

• The trays do not stain.

• The aligners are numbered and worn for two weeks each, so your time in treatment is well established.

• You’ll get a chance to see a computer simulation showing how your teeth will move during treatment, and see the projected final outcome of your new smile.

• You’ll have fewer and less frequent appointments than patients wearing traditional braces.

Metal Braces

Metal brackets, typically the most affordable braces option, are very strong and can be used to correct most types of orthodontic bite problems. At first they may irritate your cheeks or gums, but after a few weeks, when your cheeks get “toughened up” they are not a problem anymore. Most traditional metal braces require an elastic o-shaped rubber band, called a ligature to hold the arch wire onto the bracket. Sometimes Fry Orthodontic Specialists uses metal tie wires (little wires which are twisted around the bracket) in place of elastic ligatures.

In the “old days”, metal braces were not just brackets, but bands that wrapped around the entire tooth. Modern, high tech appliances and methods allow us to use the self-ligating type: patients wear small metal brackets that are glued to the front of each tooth which is a big improvement! Those old-fashioned bands are usually reserved for molars or teeth with fillings that spill to the outside surface of a tooth. Metal braces tend to be a less expensive and are a more affordable braces option than Invisalign. In addition, you can make them colorful with ligatures that come in a rainbow of colors.

Advantages of Metal Braces

• Metal braces tend to be the most affordable of all the types of braces.

• Metal braces tend to take the least amount of time.

• Metal braces allow you to choose a darker ligature, which will not show curry, smoking, or black coffee stains. 

• Self-ligating brackets do not contain rubber ligatures, so staining will never be a problem.

•  Metal braces are strong and rarely break. 

Ceramic Braces

Fry Orthodontic Specialists of Kansas City offers Ceramic Braces (also called Clear Braces) among their many affordable orthodontics treatment options. Ceramic braces are made of composite materials. Ceramic braces are very strong and generally do not stain. Three popular brands are Clarity and Transcend, made by 3M Unitek; and Mystique, made by GAC. Adults and teens like to choose ceramic braces because they “blend in” with the teeth and are less noticeable than metal. In a similar way to Invisalign, these are a great treatment option for those with careers or hobbies in which the smile is prominently shown, or simply for those wishing to have a less noticeable treatment option while improving the look of their smile.

Advantages of Ceramic Braces (Clear Braces)

• They blend in with the color of your teeth.They are not very noticeable to others or in photos.

• Some patients feel that they are more comfortable than metal braces and may be less irritating to your cheeks and gums.

• Contrary to what you may have heard, ceramic braces do not usually break or come off your teeth. They are very strong, and if bound with a plasma light, stay on and move teeth as well as metal brackets

Lingual Braces

Lingual braces are the same as traditional metal braces, except that the brackets and wires are placed on the inside of teeth