How To Afford Straightening Your Teeth

Tooth issues are some of the most commonplace medical problems plaguing people all across the globe. Starting from tooth pain, stained teeth, chipped teeth, cavities, crooked teeth to hyperdontia, you can be plagued by any of these tooth problems at any time. Some of the treatment methods for these dental problems can vary greatly based on how much you’re willing to spend.

Crooked or misaligned teeth is a common tooth problem most people face, and thankfully there are a couple of ways to approach its treatment. If you want to know more about how to affordably treat crooked teeth and the most common medical procedures available, here’s everything you need to know.

Invisalign

Currently considered the most popular and inexpensive method to treat crooked teeth, Invisalign is for those who don’t like the metallic brace alternative. These devices function similarly to braces but are made of plastic. They are designed from scratch by the dentist who takes a mouthpiece mold to get accurate measurements.

Once made, Invisalign’s are then placed behind the upper or lower row of your teeth, which slowly straightens your crooked teeth over time. The best part is that activities like eating or brushing your teeth are easy compared to metal braces as they can be removed and put back into place by the user whenever they have to engage in these activities.

The average cost of Invisalign procedures usually ranges between $3,500 to $9,000, depending on the materials used and the complexity of the process.

Metal Braces

The oldest and most common dental treatment for crooked teeth, metal braces were the most common solution for realigning crooked teeth until the comparatively recent introduction of Invisalign.

Metal braces are more effective for adults as they allow for more complex corrections that cannot be accommodated by Invisalign. However, there are a couple of downsides to them as well. For starters, you cannot remove metal braces for day-to-day activities as they’re semi-permanently attached to your teeth until the straightening process is complete.

Also, many children feel ashamed to have metal wires showing on their teeth whenever they open their mouths. The average cost of metal brace procedures usually ranges between $2,500 to $6,000, depending on the materials used and the complexity of the process.

Lingual Braces

Lingual braces are the same as metal braces but benefit from being a lot more subtle. It’s basically the same as Invisalign, but instead of using a mold behind your teeth, the braces and wires are fitted so that they don’t show when you talk or open your mouth. With lingual braces, visits to the dentists are less as they typically require 12 to 24 weeks to be successful.

It should be noted that while being a lot better for your public appearance, linguistic braces can cause slurred speech for the first couple of days as you’ll need some time to get adjusted to them.

They also require a bit more effort to keep clean.

The average cost of lingual brace procedures usually ranges between $10000 to $13000 depending on the materials used and the complexity of the process.

Contouring and Bonding

Contouring is a specialized dental treatment procedure for crooked teeth which usually come into play if braces or Invisalign are not required to straighten your teeth.

The procedure usually involves using composite materials in building parts of the tooth that has gotten decayed while using a drill to make other parts of the tooth level with the rest of the teeth.

Contouring and bonding costs are quite cheap compared to the other major dental procedures, ranging between $100-$500 for each tooth. But if you have more than one tooth to align, the more long-term procedures might work better for you.

Home Kits

Unless your crooked teeth are giving you a lot of trouble, you can also opt to straighten them at home. With a home straightening kit, one can effectively work on their teeth without visiting the doctor or getting teeth scanned.

These kits can be easily ordered online and aren’t difficult to use. You will be surprised by how effective byte aligners before and after use can be. The average cost of home kits usually ranges between $1,200- $2,000 based on the brand and quality of the kit.

Keeping Things in Perspective

Dental treatments are notorious for the treatment expenses getting out of hand in many instances, so knowing your options beforehand is smart.

If you do more research on them individually, you should have an even clearer picture of which treatment option you want to go for. This way, you can save a substantial amount of money in the long run.