Lingual braces are placed behind and on the inside of the teeth around the palate and tongue. This means they're not visible like traditional braces, so you can show off your smile while your teeth are straightened.
Though they're nearly invisible, lingual braces are just as effective as front-facing, visible braces. That means you can get the same great result without the visible brackets.
Lingual braces are customized for each patient to be more comfortable to wear than traditional braces. While all braces can cause discomfort after initial installation and right after they're adjusted, that discomfort disappears after a couple of days.
Unlike traditional brackets, which can cause a white "stain" on teeth where the glue attaches to the tooth, lingual braces fit differently on the tooth and have less chance of irritating or staining the tooth.
Lingual braces are an option for children, but usually more for older children, such as teenagers. There must be a minimum crown (white part of the tooth) available for the brackets to be attached, and younger children tend not to have enough crown length. We can evaluate your child's teeth and determine whether lingual braces are an option.
As with all braces, there can be discomfort after initial installation and after adjustments. The discomfort arises once tooth movement is initiated. Pressure is applied through the wire acting between the brackets attached to the teeth. The “ligament” that holds each tooth in your jaw becomes irritated, and that is why braces make your mouth sore sometimes. This usually disappears after a few days. They also can cause some tongue irritation, but this is not a common ongoing problem; any irritation usually disappears within a few days.
The length of time varies depending on the severity of the issues being treated. Treatment time in lingual braces is 25-50% longer than braces placed on the front of your teeth. Our average treatment time in braces is 15 months, so we expect lingual braces to be 18-24 months. This is because there is much less space between each bracket placed on the inside of your teeth compared to the front of your teeth. We can utilize the powerful SureSmile system to plan treatment, create your smile design, design wires and have them robotically bent for predictability and precision.
Lingual braces work similarly to traditional braces by applying gentle pressure to the teeth to move them into place. They can fix the most common dental issues, including overbites, underbites, crossbites, gap teeth, and crowded teeth.
Lingual braces can cause a temporary lisp while the tongue is getting used to having the braces there. Usually, you will notice it more than anyone else will. In most cases, this lasts for a short time and corrects itself, especially with a little extra practice talking.
Lingual braces are a great alternative for those who want the reliability of traditional metal braces without the visibility of metal brackets on the outside of the teeth. Instead, lingual brackets are placed on the inside, or the tongue side, of the teeth. That means you get a beautiful smile with nearly invisible braces!
Lingual braces are often preferred by adults who don't want visible braces to interfere with their professional appearance. We can evaluate your case and determine whether lingual braces are right for you.
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