How long do traditional braces take to straighten teeth?
Traditional braces involve brackets that are bonded to your teeth, and connected by a wire that applies pressure to different parts of your teeth to move them into the correct position over time.
On average, traditional braces treatment can last between 18 to 24 months and may sometimes stretch to 3 years depending on how complex your case is. Your dentist determines the treatment duration depending on factors like how crooked your teeth are and your bite condition.
The type of braces you wear also affects how long your treatment lasts. If your dentist recommends metal braces, it means that the wires need to be tightened every few weeks to gradually align your teeth, which may prolong the duration of your treatment.
The stages of traditional braces treatment
Observing and analysing your smile
Every treatment journey starts with a dental consultation, where the dentist will look at your teeth, and take a few X-rays of your smile. They will also take an accurate impression of your teeth either by taking a digital scan of your mouth or using a soft, playdough-like material to create a mould of your teeth.
Treating your smile
Subsequently, they’ll recommend a treatment plan for your smile and you’ll get your braces fitted.
The final stage
After a few appointments to tighten the wires on your braces, you’re finally ready to have them removed and see your new smile!
How long do invisible braces take?
Well doesn’t traditional braces sound tedious? With advances in tele-dentistry and 3D printing, invisible braces treatment is now faster compared to traditional braces. Say goodbye to a prolonged treatment duration and hello to quick results! Your dentist will assess your teeth condition and create a treatment plan just for you.
Mild cases only take approximately 3 to 9 months with ZenyumClear™ treatment. On the other hand, ZenyumClear™ Plus can help with more complex cases that require a treatment duration of 9 to 15 months. For the extended treatment time, these include attachments on multiple teeth and teeth extractions if necessary.
Here's how your Zenyum Invisible Braces Journey works
- Simply take your free smile assessment and share pictures of your teeth with us.
- After determining your eligibility for Zenyum Invisible Braces, book an appointment with us for your visit to the dentist!
- Your dentist will take a 3D scan and X-ray of your teeth so that a treatment plan can be created for your new smile.
- After 2-3 weeks, receive your customised treatment plan and approve it to kickstart production of your aligners.
- You’ll only need to wait 4-5 weeks for your aligners to be produced. Then go for your fitting appointment at the dentist to try them out and learn how to wear and care for them.
- Start wearing your aligners for 20-22 hours daily and be sure to keep us updated on your progress via the Zenyum app.
- Once you’re near the finish line, you’ll meet your dentist again for a final review to determine if your treatment goals have been met.
- If all’s well, you’ll end your treatment and start wearing retainers to keep your smile intact.
FAQs: How long do braces take to straighten teeth
Do braces always take 2 years?
Not always. It depends on the severity of your teeth condition which determines how long treatment takes. In the case of Zenyum Invisible Braces, mild cases only take approximately 3 to 9 months under the ZenyumClear™ treatment and more complex cases with ZenyumClear™ Plus require a treatment duration of 9 to 15 months.
What's the shortest time for braces?
With Zenyum Invisible Braces, your treatment time is shortened significantly, largely due to remote treatment monitoring via the Zenyum app. With ZenyumClear™, the shortest time for braces would be approximately 3 to 9 months. So you’ll be smiling better in under a year. Isn’t that wonderful?
For how long do braces hurt?
As they say, no pain no gain. But is wearing braces really all that painful? The reason why there’s pain is because of the pressure that invisible aligners apply on your teeth. It’s most likely the case that you’ll feel pain each time you switch to a new set of aligners. And you’ll also feel it when you’re putting on your aligners or taking them off. But trust us, this pain is temporary. Once your treatment ends, you’ll have a brand new smile that you can’t wait to show off to the world!
A couple of tips to help ease that invisible braces pain include:
- Wearing your new set of aligners just before you go to sleep so your teeth can adjust to them overnight. It’ll ensure that you wake up with less pain!
- Try not to eat anything hard or crunchy for the first few days when you’re wearing a new set of aligners. And as best possible, don’t clench your teeth if you can as that can cause you to feel more pain.
So now that you’ve learnt everything about how long braces take, it’s actually not too difficult after all. And Zenyum’s got you covered with everything you need to take your smile to the next level. What are you waiting for? Start your Smile Journey today by clicking the button below.