01872 242444
Castle Mews, 10 Castle St, Truro,
Cornwall, TR1 3AF
Welcome to The River Practice
Cornwall’s specialist dental centre.
What is Orthodontics?
Orthodontics is the speciality of dentistry concerned with the correction of the position of the teeth and jaws. Orthodontics can be used alone to align crooked teeth, and so give a significant improvement in someone's smile, or it can be used to position the teeth in a way that allows other dentistry to be more successful (for example providing the optimum space for a bridge).
For more information please visit our advice section and download the Orthodontics advice sheet.
FAQ's
- Why should I have treatment?
- Am I too old?
- What happens at my 1st appointment?
- What is a "brace"?
- What sort of brace will I have?
- Can I have colours?
- Will it hurt?
- What can go wrong?
- How long will treatment take?
- Will my teeth stay in their treated position?
- Clinical records
- How much will it cost?
Why should I have treatment?
There is extensive evidence to show that a nice smile is important in many aspects of life. Orthodontics will help give you a smile that you will want to use!
Am I too old?
Orthodontics is not just for teenagers! We have experience in successfully treating a large number of adults, including some over 60 years of age. Please click here to see more details of adult orthodontics.
What happens at my 1st appointment?
We will discuss how best that we can help you. We may take some moulds of your teeth, X-Rays, and photographs to help us plan your treatment and help you decide whether or not you want a brace.
What is a "brace"?
A brace is the term used for any appliance that is used to move the teeth. They may be fixed to the teeth (sometimes called "train tracks"), or removable. Even the removable braces will not work unless they are worn full-time (although some times can be taken out for eating).
What sort of brace will I have?
You may require a removable brace as part of your treatment. However, removable braces are only capable of limited things; a fixed brace (or "train track") is the best way of controlling the movement of your teeth and so will probably be required during your treatment. Transparent braces, which are very difficult to see.
Can I have colours?
We stock a wide range of coloured elastics for fixed braces and you can even change them each time the brace is adjusted! (The brace itself is usually silver, clear ones being available privately). We can even make multi-coloured removable braces.
Will it hurt?
No! You may find that your teeth are a little uncomfortable after the brace is fitted or adjusted, and your cheeks may get sore now and again. Anything more than this is very rare.
What can go wrong?
Failure to keep the brace clean, and avoid sugary or acidic food and drink between meals will lead to decay occurring around the brace. This will often not be detectable until the brace is removed, and by then it can be severe and cause significant cosmetic and dental health problems. In addition, such failure to keep the brace clean may lead to irreversible gum problems.
Very occasionally, movement of teeth orthodontically results in the root of the tooth being damaged. It may then require root-filling. This is more likely (although still rare) to occur if the tooth has previously been damaged in some way. It is therefore very important to tell the orthodontist if you / your child has ever received a blow to your teeth, whether or not this caused obvious damage.
How long will treatment take?
Treatment times vary, but on average, the "active" phase of treatment will last for 12 - 24 months. Following this, there will be a period where "retaining" braces will need to be worn to allow the teeth to stabilise in their new positions. This will usually involve 3-4 months of full-time wear of a removable retaining brace, followed by continued "part-time" wear of the removable retainers indefinitely, or the fitting of "fixed" retainers which are bonded to the back of your front teeth and remain in place indefinitely.
Will my teeth stay in their treated position?
Your mouth changes shape throughout life. For this reason, it is likely that once you stop wearing your retainer, your teeth will move. This is particularly common with the lower front teeth, and any teeth that were severely twisted before treatment. Every effort will have been made when planning treatment to minimise the chance of significant movement, and even in the long-term, your teeth are likely to remain in a better position compared to that before treatment. In order to be sure that your teeth do not move, it will be necessary to wear your removable retainers on alternate nights indefinitely, or to have a fixed retainer bonded to the back of the teeth.
Clinical records
Some of your records are stored electronically (on computer), and some as physical objects (such as dental models etc). We look after these records in accordance with the Data Protection Act. You may have access to the information stored in accordance with current legislation. A charge will be made for this to cover our administrative time. Your records, including photographs and X-rays may be used for educational or marketing purposes.
How much will it cost?
This will depend on the severity of the problems with your teeth, how long your treatment is likely to take, whether you require evening appointments and the types of brace that you require. We will not be able to give an accurate indication of this until we have carried out a consultation. Our price list is published in the practice and on this web site.
