Orthodontics for adults

What is orthodontics?

Orthodontics is the dentistry specialty that corrects jaw and tooth positioning, maintains jaw and tooth balance, and addresses issues with occlusion, the way the upper and lower teeth touch.

While it’s often seen as a purely cosmetic specialty focused on achieving straight teeth and an attractive smile, orthodontics also plays a serious functional role in oral health.

On the functional side, orthodontic treatments can directly impact the way you chew, speak, breathe, and swallow, and even your growth.

And on the cosmetic side, you can have any or all of your teeth aligned, at any age.

Patients of all ages can benefit from orthodontics: it can help guide bone growth in children’s jaws, coordinate jaw and tooth growth in teens, and align teeth at any age.

Orthodontic treatments go far beyond the classic teen braces. In fact, an increasing percentage of patients are adults! Adult patients are usually looking for fast, effective, and invisible tooth alignment, something made possible by modern orthodontics.

Choose your practitioner carefully. This specialty should be practiced only by specialists certified in and dentofacial orthopedics, but some dentists do offer orthodontic treatments with no training. Pick carefully!

 

Why opt for orthodontics?

Orthodontic treatments have become far more sophisticated over the past 15 years to meet patients’ changing needs. They can benefit patients of any age:

Children

• Guiding jaw growth if their jaws are not developing properly
• Preventing overlapping adult teeth if their baby teeth are already misaligned
• Making room for their adult teeth to emerge in the right position
• Pulling any teeth that fail to erupt or erupt abnormally
• Enabling correct tongue positioning so they can learn to swallow and speak correctly
• Enabling their mouth and all its functions to develop normally, to prevent issues like sleep apnea, visceral swallowing, open bite, and more.
• Balancing their chewing muscles and creating facial symmetry
• Enabling correct lip positioning and support
• Aligning their teeth so they are easier to clean and keep cavity-free
• Creating a great smile!

Adults and seniors

• Aligning overlapping teeth
• Closing spaces between teeth
• Countering the effects of gum recession
• Stopping wear on certain teeth by correcting their alignment
• Straightening specific teeth so a dental implant can be placed
• Preventing gum damage caused by excess space between teeth
• Making their teeth easier to clean and indirectly decreasing the risk of cavities
• Decreasing the intensity of tooth clenching and grinding, also known as bruxism, by spreading out and harmonizing the contact surfaces between their top and bottom teeth
• Creating a great smile!

 

What are the different types of orthodontic appliances?

Orthodontic appliances are usually divided into 4 groups:

Interceptive appliance

Interceptive appliances are used to intercept pathologies in children and prevent the development of more serious dental or bone issues, particularly as they grow and their adult teeth emerge.

These appliances are used during childhood because they can guide or even redirect bone growth.

Their key benefit is balancing young patients’ teeth and creating ideal conditions for their emerging adult teeth so they can avoid having braces for a long time in their teens.

Interceptive appliances are the best way of avoiding long, expensive treatments down the road, making them a highly functional choice. Prevention is the best medicine!

Many of these appliances are removable and are used for short periods (up to 6 months).

Aligners (Invisalign)

Probably the best-known modern orthodontic appliance!

These transparent, virtually invisible aligners are just as fast and effective as traditional braces.

The difference is that they are invisible and removable, making them a more practical, comfortable option for adult patients.

Aligners are an option for all patients, but it’s important to note that they require perfect patient compliance since they have to be worn 22 hours every day. That’s one reason why they are not usually recommended for teens, unless they are extremely motivated.

The best-known and most effective aligners are the Invisalign brand, which can move any tooth in any direction.

However, our discussions with adult patients often reveal that only a few teeth need to be realigned to achieve a stable, balanced compromise that avoids the need for a full year of treatment, even with a comfortable and invisible appliance.

Braces

Braces are most commonly used for children and teens.

In use since the mid-20th century, they are highly effective and remain the most common tooth alignment method.

Here’s how they work:

A metal wire connects the brackets that are attached to the surface of each tooth. As the wire returns to its original shape, it moves all of the teeth to which it is attached.

The brackets can be made of metal or, for a much less visible option, transparent ceramic.

Lingual braces

Lingual braces work just like traditional braces but are completely invisible because they are applied to the back of your teeth, instead of the front.

Their only disadvantage is that they can irritate your tongue and significantly reduce the amount of space inside your mouth.

They are also relatively difficult to clean, so they are more appropriate for adult patients.

 

How long do orthodontic treatments take?

Treatment length varies but generally ranges from 6 to 18 months for both traditional braces and aligners.

How long your treatment takes is not affected by your choice of appliance. It depends on two factors:

1 The number and type of movements required.

• Do your teeth overlap significantly or just a little?
• Are the spaces to be closed very wide or fairly small?
• Do all your teeth need to be moved, or just a few of them?
• Do your teeth need to be moved 3-dimensionally or in a single dimension?

To give you an idea of how long it takes, 90% of adults treated with Invisalign aligners are done within 7 months.

2 Gum cleanliness

The more dental plaque builds up on the surface of your teeth, the more inflamed your gums and bone will be and the longer your treatment will take.

It is usually harder for teeth to move when the tissue that supports your teeth, known as the periodontal tissue, is inflamed. That’s why it’s so important to keep your teeth clean and make sure your mouth is healthy before starting your treatment.

Finally, your orthodontist’s role includes discussing your functional and aesthetic goals with you, so you can determine how long treatment should take.

 

How should I maintain my orthodontic appliance?

Orthodontic appliances are always food traps. That’s why following your hygienist’s advice is key.

• Brush your teeth and the interface with your gums using the brush and technique your hygienist recommends for you after every meal.
• Use appropriately sized interdental brushes to clean out any food stuck between your wire and your teeth.
• If necessary, use interdental sticks to remove any food stuck between your teeth under the wire.
• Use a fluoridated mouthwash to strengthen your tooth enamel, which is constantly under attack by bacteria due to increased food retention.
• When you can’t brush, rinse your mouth with water and swish to remove as much dental plaque as possible.

If you have Invisalign aligners, our hygienists recommend the following:

• Clean around the attachments on your teeth.
• Brush the inside of your aligners with a manual toothbrush.
• Never eat or drink with your aligners in, to avoid staining them.
• You can also soak your aligners in water with a denture cleaning tablet.

 

How much do orthodontic treatments cost?

The cost varies based on several different factors, but generally ranges from 2,500 to 9,000 CHF.

Factors that influence treatment costs include:

How long the treatment is expected to last. 

That depends on how many tooth movements are required. A 6-month treatment will cost closer to 2,500 to 4,000 CHF.

On the other hand, a complex treatment plan to support a child’s bone growth over 18 months could cost 7,000 CHF to 9,000 CHF.

The type of appliance.
Traditional braces, which are glued to the external surface of your teeth, are cheaper because they use the same parts for all patients. Aligners and lingual braces are individually custom-made, making them more expensive. While your orthodontist will charge the same rate for his or her work, the overall cost is still higher.

Finally, if you are dealing with an extreme malocclusion (misalignment), public health insurance may cover all of your orthodontic treatment costs. To qualify, the treatment must be provided by a certified orthodontist, not a general practice dentist.

 

Where can I find an orthodontist?

You can find orthodontists with dentofacial orthopedics certification at all of our CHD clinics, in Geneva, Meyrin, Lausanne, and Yverdon.

Orthodontics is a demanding specialty which requires completing a 4-year full-time fellowship at one of just a few universities.

Certified orthodontists are qualified to practice orthodontics and submit quotes to the public health insurance agency for the most severe jaw and tooth malocclusions (misalignments).

You can see a certified orthodontist at:

• CHD Geneva: Rue de Lausanne 65 1202 Geneva
• CHD Meyrin: Chemin de Riantbosson 19 1217 Meyrin
• CHD Lausanne: Route de Berne 1 1010 Lausanne
• CHD Yverdon – Nord Vaudois: Avenue Haldimand 105 1400 Yverdon-les-Bains