For well over 100 years, patients with bite and alignment concerns have turned to metal braces in Irving to get the straight, healthy smile they deserve. They are effective for treating even the most complex orthodontic needs using a series of brackets and wires. Whether used in children, teens, or adults, we can move your family’s teeth into their ideal positions to create healthy, beautiful smiles that last. Give us a call today if you’re ready to achieve the beautiful, happy smile you deserve with traditional braces in Irving.
Why Choose Daily Smiles MacArthur Dental and Orthodontics for Traditional Braces?
Dentist Who Possesses Advanced Orthodontic Training & Experience
Caring, Calming, & Compassionate Dental Team
Personalized Plans Designed to Ensure Successful Results
How Do Traditional Braces Work?
Braces gradually move your teeth using pressure that’s continuously applied to them over time. Brackets are bonded to the front surfaces of the teeth to hold an arch wire in place. Adjustments are made to the wire every couple of weeks to reposition your teeth. This allows your bone to change as a result of the pressure to anchor each tooth firmly in their new position. Some people may require springs or other attachments to achieve the best alignment possible.
Issues Braces Can Fix
Braces are effective in correcting a variety of orthodontic issues, including:
Overcrowding
When teeth sit too close to each other, this can lead to serious dental issues, such as tooth decay and gum disease. As food and bacteria become trapped in these tight spaces, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to remove them with brushing and flossing. This can result in oral health problems that can cause serious complications, like:
Cavities and tooth decay: Should tooth decay develop as a result of crowded teeth, the infection can lead to cavities and possibly a need for a root canal or extraction if the infection spreads deep inside the tooth.
Gum disease: If gum disease is allowed to form because teeth are not cleaned properly, what can start as red, irritated gums can quickly turn into soft tissues that bleed, and plaque and tartar that spread beneath the gumline causing bone and tooth loss. Not to mention, if inflammation and infection enter the bloodstream, it can cause a host of health problems (i.e., diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s, dementia).
Misaligned bite: Sometimes, the positioning of your teeth can impact how your teeth come together when your mouth is closed. If there isn’t a balance, it can make it difficult to chew while also increasing the risk of many other complications, like uneven wear on your enamel and jaw pain.
Fortunately, regular braces can shift your teeth and create the necessary space to realign your smile and improve your oral health.
Spaces Between Teeth
Some people find their unevenly spaced or gapped teeth to be unattractive. Not only can this orthodontic issue impact your confidence in social settings, but it can also create spaces in your mouth that are more susceptible to collecting plaque, tartar, and bacteria. Not only will addressing gapped teeth with braces provide you with a beautiful and even smile, but it will also reduce your risk of developing oral health problems by making your mouth easier to clean. Braces in Irving can help effectively close these spaces in your mouth, even if your situation is more severe.
Bite Alignment Problems
Bite misalignment is a relatively common issue that impacts countless adults and children. Braces can fix a variety of bite problems that range in severity, including overbite, underbite, and crossbite. Each of these misalignment issues can cause different symptoms and struggles in your daily life, such as speech impediments, changes in your facial appearance, breathing issues, and pain or discomfort while chewing food.
While several different treatments can be used to address bite misalignment, for patients who have moderate to severe cases, braces in Irving are one of the most effective solutions. The secured brackets and wires can provide slight movement that gradually shifts the teeth into their ideal position. Plus, since they’re not removable, they’re constantly applying this force, allowing for effective and noticeable results. Unlike Invisalign, braces can correct some of the most complicated bite misalignment issues because they’re highly functional.
Benefits of Braces
Often, people think misaligned teeth are only an aesthetic problem, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Although it will impact your confidence, orthodontic issues can harm your oral health and your quality of life. Braces are an investment because they not only give you a beautiful smile, but they offer other benefits as well, such as:
Effective for a wide range of needs.
Reduces the risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health issues.
Promotes proper oral functions.
Improves confidence.
Understanding the Cost of Traditional Braces
One barrier that stands between many people getting an aligned, healthier smile is the cost of traditional braces in Irving. Fortunately, our team strives to make treatment as affordable and accessible as possible by offering flexible financing, maximizing insurance benefits, and more. If you’re concerned about the price tag attached to traditional braces, give our friendly team a call today! We can help you navigate your payment options and make the process as transparent and easy as possible for you.
Factors That Can Impact the Cost of Braces
Every braces treatment that our team does is customized for each of our unique patients’ smiles and dental alignment. For this reason, there’s no singular price tag attached to the treatment. Some of the details that can impact the cost of your procedure include:
Whether you’re addressing bite misalignment or just dental misalignment.
If one or both arches of your teeth need to be aligned.
The amount of time your treatment takes.
If additional accessories, like elastic bands or space maintainers, are needed.
How many visits are required throughout your process.
Dr. Hirji will discuss what your unique treatment journey will look like after our team has the opportunity to examine your X-rays and mouth in-person at your consultation.
Investing in Professional Treatment is Always Worth It
Have you heard about DIY braces? This do-it-yourself alternative to professional treatment has led to a number of problems for hundreds of patients looking to straighten their smile on a budget. While you may think that doing it yourself will help you save money, in the long run, it will just make you spend more as well as lead to other issues, like emotional distress.
When you try to straighten your smile with products like rubber bands, it will likely worsen your orthodontic concerns, as well as put your teeth at risk of falling out. In the end, investing in professional treatment is always the best choice!
Does Dental Insurance Cover Braces?
It’s important to recognize that every dental insurance plan varies, so your benefits will be unique to the plan that you’re enrolled in. However, our team is happy to help you determine the details of your policy before you decide to move forward with treatment, allowing us to provide you with a more accurate cost estimate. In addition to being in-network with all PPO dental insurance plans, we also accept CHIP and Medicaid.
Options for Making Braces Affordable
We understand that most patients will be responsible for at least a portion of the cost of their treatment out of their own pocket. In these cases, we may recommend low-to-no interest financing through CareCredit, a trusted third-party financier. All that’s required to sign up is to submit a short digital application, which our team is happy to walk you through if you need assistance.
Traditional Braces FAQs
Do you have some questions about the process of getting traditional braces in Irving and what your life will be like while you’re undergoing treatment? Fixing orthodontic problems can help improve your oral health and make you feel more confident about the appearance of your smile. For your convenience, we’ve answered some common questions we receive from patients below.
What’s It Like to Have Braces Placed?
During your consultation, your Irving dentist, Dr. Rafiq, will go over all the details that relate to the day you’ll have your braces put on. That way, you’ll know what to expect. For now, we’ll outline some basics of your treatment. It will take about an hour to place your brackets and wires, but before we do that, we’ll polish and clean your teeth to ensure that no plaque or tartar gets trapped in hard-to-reach areas of your mouth. After that, we’ll paint a primer substance and bonding glue to attach your brackets to your teeth. Lastly, Dr. Rafiq will place the archwire through the brackets and secure them in place using elastics.
At the end of your appointment, we’ll go over some basic maintenance tips with you, so you feel comfortable brushing and flossing with your braces.
Am I Too Old to Get Braces?
You’re never too mature to fix orthodontic issues and reduce your risk of developing oral health problems. Countless adults receive braces every year to help align their bite and straighten severely crowded teeth to make it easier to brush and floss every day. If you’re self-conscious about having traditional braces, you can always speak with Dr. Rafiq about getting Invisalign aligners instead. These are practically unnoticeable aligning trays that can fix a majority of minor and moderately severe orthodontic issues.
How Often Will I Need Checkups When I Have Braces?
It’s important to regularly visit Dr. Rafiq while you’re undergoing treatment so we can ensure that your braces continue shifting your teeth into their ideal positions and that everything is going according to plan. Typically, you’ll visit us every four to eight weeks so that we can adjust the archwires and check the progress you’ve made. These appointments are usually only about a half-hour to an hour.
Do Braces Hurt?
It's natural to experience some discomfort when you first get braces and when they’re adjusted throughout the process. After all, braces put pressure on your teeth to move them, so your mouth will need to go through a gradual adjustment period. During this time, you may feel some soreness and irritation in your mouth. Fortunately, any discomfort you feel should be mild and easily managed with over-the-counter pain relievers, ice packs, cold foods/drinks, and orthodontic wax. If the soreness doesn’t go away in a few days, is intense, or seems to be getting worse, be sure to contact our office right away. Overall, straightening your smile with braces in Irving shouldn’t be an uncomfortable process!
