Consultant Specialist Orthodontist with over 25 years' experience
There are many alternatives to the traditional metal brace. At Orthodontist London, braces Marylebone come in many forms. Let's look at one of the lesser-known: our lingual braces!
We endeavour to provide the widest options and solid guidance in helping you get the appropriate treatment. We are here not only to resolve any misalignments but also to match your lifestyle and commitments.
Lingual braces are a solution for those who are looking for a low-impact orthodontic treatment. The underlying idea seems simple enough: we apply a brace to the inner surface of the teeth with the archwire running across the back of the teeth. They will be much more subtle whilst still being robust and effective. In practice, this is a little more complicated.
WIN Lingual System
This brace is the progression of the first lingual brace designed and fabricated by Dr Dirk Wiechmann. It resolved the limitations of lingual braces by custom-fabricating every aspect of the brackets. These are individually designed but also unique to each patient's teeth, cupping and supporting them in the manner that is required whilst minimising their mass and profile.
This makes the WIN Lingual system particularly comfortable to wear and reduces the impact on speech patterns. Even the “th” noises, where pushing your tongue against the backside of your teeth is particularly important, are clearer. This custom-made approach also allows a brace to the appropriate and complicated cases as it can be made to order.
Incognito Lingual Bracket System
The Incognito system has borrowed tools and techniques from aligners, making extensive use of 3D modelling and personalised design in order to manufacture each bracket from a gold alloy. No part of these brackets extends to the front face of the teeth, thus maintaining the subtlety that you would expect of lingual braces Marylebone whilst retaining all of its functionality. It is particularly useful for those with nickel or other less common metal allergies due to the chemically inert nature of gold.
Fitting and maintaining lingual braces
At Orthodontist London, we have fitted many lingual braces and helped our patients in the maintenance and getting the most out of orthodontic treatment. Simply due to their position in the mouth, these braces are more complicated than the standard metal braces. We often split the fitting sessions over two appointments and focus on a single set of brackets in each session as it can be quite taxing on both our staff and the patient.
Lingual braces Marylebone tend to be easy to maintain. The space between your teeth and the archwire is deliberately minimal; this is because any extension of the archwire into your mouth would quickly become obstructive. By rubbing against your teeth and being generally uncomfortable as a by-product of this tightly fitting archwire, the brace is less likely to have debris trapped underneath it. The additional specialisation of the brackets found with lingual orthodontics makes it highly unlikely for them to become detached, and it is somewhat protected by being on the inside of your teeth.
