How Long Will My Orthodontic Treatment Take?

One question that every patient asks their dentist every time they visit a dental clinic for a dental procedure is – how long will it take? When a patient visits a dentist for orthodontic treatment, a dentist can’t tell how long it will take because every case is different. Some people’s teeth may respond to orthodontic treatment sooner than others, and based on your progress, your orthodontist can give you a timeline.

If you’re planning to get orthodontic treatment, you’ve come to the right place.

This blog explains what orthodontic treatment is, why it’s done, and most importantly – how long the treatment takes.

What is Orthodontics?

Orthodontics is a specialized field in dentistry that’s focused on aligning and straightening the teeth (malocclusion, also called bad bites) to improve the overall appearance of your teeth and enhance their functionality.

Orthodontic treatment is performed when a patient has overlapped, crooked, or twisted teeth or has gaps in their teeth. It corrects the teeth and jaw misaligned to ensure the biting pressure is spread evenly across your teeth. Some of the most common orthodontic treatments are removable retainers, clear aligners, and traditional braces.

How Long Does The Treatment Take?

It’s critically important that your teeth and jaw are aligned adequately because it directly impacts your oral functioning and affects basic functions like speech, chewing, and breathing. When your teeth are properly aligned, the risk of periodontal disease and cavities is greatly reduced. Orthodontic treatment helps address the misalignment of the teeth and jaw. The question is – how long does it take for the teeth to become properly aligned following orthodontic treatment?

Typically, the treatment can take an average of 12 to 36 months. Your orthodontist will conduct a thorough facial and oral examination through impressions, x-rays, and facial scans to identify which orthodontic procedure is best suited for you. They’ll make an individualized treatment plan for you
based on the structure of your facial bone, jaw, and teeth.

How long the treatment takes depends on multiple factors. These factors include:

Age

Age has a profound impact on how long orthodontic treatment takes. In younger patients, their facial structures and jaws are still moving and growing, and their teeth are less dense. Therefore, aligning their teeth doesn’t take as long as it does in older patients. Older patients require more aggressive treatments; even then, it may take them much longer to properly align their teeth.

Severity of Misalignment

If the teeth are just crowded or crooked, it takes less time to correct them. However, correcting the misalignment will take much longer if the alignment issues are serious. If the misalignment is serious, the the procedure will involve extracting teeth, creating more space, and/or readjusting the teeth, which can take considerable time.

Aftercare

How well you take care of your teeth following the treatment profoundly influences how long the treatment may take. If you continue to bite and chew hard foods and not brush your teeth right, the orthodontic treatment may take much longer. For example, if you’ve got braces and you bite on a hard object or brush your teeth too aggressively, a wire may come loose, and this means your braces are no longer working. The better you take care of your teeth after orthodontic treatment, the sooner you’ll see the results.

So, the answer to the question, ‘How long will my orthodontic treatment take?’ is that the duration will vary depending on your case. Just because someone’s braces took 1 year to deliver results doesn’t mean it’ll take the same time for you too.

How to Shorten the Duration of Orthodontic Treatments?

You may wonder if there’s a way to shorten your orthodontic treatments. Well, it’s possible to finish your orthodontic treatment sooner. It all comes down to how actively you are involved in the procedure.

Below are some tips that will shorten the duration of your orthodontic treatment and deliver results in a
shorter time.

Avoid Eating Hard Foods

One of the most effective ways to ensure your orthodontic treatment doesn’t become prolonged is to avoid eating hard foods that require you to exert force on your teeth. Doing so can result in components of the braces coming loose, rendering the entire orthodontic procedure ineffective. Your orthodontist will have to start from scratch, making the treatment duration much longer.

Keep Your Teeth Clean

Braces and aligners have a lot of space and gaps for food particles to stick. If the food sticks to your teeth or orthodontic devices, they’ll nurture the growth of bacteria, which will eventually result in teeth and gum infections. If your teeth or gums get infected. The treatment time will extend as your orthodontist will have to turn their focus on treating the infection first.

Don’t Skip Your Follow-Up Visits

No matter how confident you are that your orthodontic devices are great and the treatment is on the right track, never miss your follow-up visits. Only your orthodontist can evaluate your teeth and tell if the devices are doing their job right.

Closing Words

Orthodontic treatments are long and expensive. A little negligence from your end can result in wasted time and money spent on treatment. You must follow your orthodontist’s suggestions closely and not do anything they’ve advised you against.

If you’re looking for an orthodontist for orthodontic treatment in Dubai, you need to look no further than Dr. Paul’s Dental Clinic. Our experienced orthodontists have expertise in a variety of orthodontic treatments, and they can help you achieve that ‘perfect smile’ that you can flaunt confidently!

From the initial examination up to your treatment, we maintain absolute transparency so that you know
what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.