Blog

It’s hard to go online without seeing adverts for Smile Direct Club or Therapie brace systems.

On the surface it sounds like a great idea. Low cost tooth straightening and often you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home…

Here are some things that should be considered when making the choice

Missing Teeth
If you are missing any teeth and youdon’t consider their replacement with braces you are really setting yourself up for a poor result. Even if you don’t plan on closing the gap right away it’s important it is thought of in the planning process.
For example, if you have a missing premolar and you straighten you may leave a partial gap in the area. It is big enough to be noticeable but too small for an implant. Now you have spent time and money and may need to redo your braces in order to get the right result…

Small Teeth/Misshapen Teeth

If you have small teeth like peg laterals and don’t see a cosmetic dentist for your braces all they can do is squeeze the small teeth together. That means you will be stuck with teeth that look too small! What would be far better is to correct the size of the small teeth with veneers/bondings as part of the plan. That way your teeth will look beautiful when lined up correctly.

Infected Teeth

Did you know that your teeth can have infections present without you even knowing? Often times your dentist wouldn’t be able to tell either without taking x-rays of the area. Why does this matter? If you have a tooth with an infection that is moved the infection can blow up! You could be away on holidays or on your honeymoon and suddenly it gets ruined by a huge infection.

Gum disease

Gum disease/periodontal disease is the silent killer of teeth. It usually has no symptoms and only a dentist is trained to diagnose it. If you move teeth with active gum infections the bone can fall off the teeth and they can become loose permanently.. In severe cases the teeth may even fall out.

Pricing

The only cases that smile direct and others might be useful for is relapse after previous orthodontic treatment e.g. as a teenager when retainers were not worn. In these cases normally the fees are lower than standard braces and comparable with other providers anyway.

Finance Options

With finance options now available you can have your smile improved from only €3/day. Why risk the result or the health of your teeth when it can cost so little anyway.

Dr Ed O Flaherty