What if you could have braces…but no one could see them? And no, we don’t mean clear aligners, though those can be a great option, too! Today, Texas Family Orthodontics will discuss one of our most specialized treatment options and explain some tips for maintaining a healthy smile with InBrace.
Benefits of InBrace Hidden Braces
InBrace uses custom-made braces and wires to achieve alignment, and they are placed on the back side of your teeth. This makes them invisible to most people! Here are some of the key features of this treatment:
- Custom-Made: InBrace utilizes special technology to make customized brackets and wires that fit the unique shape of your teeth. We’ll explain more about this tech in a moment!
- Continuous Adjustments: InBrace Smartwires are capable of making small, continuous adjustments to your teeth over time, which often leads to faster treatment compared to traditional braces.
- Comfort: The overall system is designed to be as minimally invasive and low profile as possible. Wires are clipped in to brackets reducing the possibility of sliding and poking wires found with traditional braces.
- Ease of Maintenance: By placing the braces behind your teeth, you’ll be able to brush and floss normally without the need for any additional tools or special cleaning techniques. And unlike clear aligners, they don’t need to be removed, stored, and cleaned every time you drink, snack, or eat.
The Process
So, how does Dr. Vo initiate this treatment? Here’s a quick walkthrough:
- InBrace uses something called a Toothprint to make a 3D image of your mouth, which is then used to personalize your custom treatment plan.
- CoDesign refers to the process of Dr. Vo inventing your lovely new smile! This will program your Smartwire with a technology called Gentleforce to make intentional movements.
Making the Most of InBrace
Now that you have an idea of how this treatment works, let’s talk about some key tips to making this process the best it can be! Your Texas Family Orthodontics team is always available to answer any questions that arise along the way.
- Brush and Floss Regularly: As with any manner of orthodontic treatment, ensure you brush your teeth at least twice a day with the right kind of toothbrush, paying special attention to the spaces around the brackets. Flossing is also essential, as it removes food particles and plaque from between your teeth and your appliance that you may not be able to see. Consider using a floss threader, interdental brushes, or water flossers to make flossing easier.
- Avoid Hard or Sticky Foods: With any type of orthodontic treatment, we encourage patients to limit or remove foods like nuts, hard candies, and sticky candies from their diet. These can directly jeopardize your appliance, and sugar is already bad for your teeth.
- Stay Hydrated: Drinking lots of water is a critical part of cleaning your mouth of food particles. It also helps you to avoid dry mouth, which can be an uncomfortable side effect of braces.
- Be Mindful of Speech Changes: Since InBrace is placed on the back of your teeth, you can experience some changes in your speech in the early stages of treatment. This is true of almost every type of orthodontic treatment. We suggest practicing speaking and reading aloud to help you adjust more quickly.
- Attend Your Check-Ups: Some patients think follow-up appointments can be skipped. We’re here to tell you that they should not be! Dr. Vo uses this time to make adjustments to your appliance and help monitor your progress overall.
- Manage Discomfort: The good news is that there shouldn’t be much discomfort with this type of treatment, but any time you have brackets and wires in your mouth, there can be irritation. Orthodontic wax is a great tool to help relieve any pokes.
- Clean Your InBrace Thoroughly: Clean your appliance after meals to ensure no food is stuck in it. You can check your teeth and braces in a mirror to help with cleaning.
- Use Technology to Your Advantage: Our Inbrace patients are remotely monitored on the Grin app to track progress. Seeing how your teeth change over time can be highly motivating throughout your treatment!
- Stay Positive: Texas Family Orthodontics is always excited to cheer on our patients as they embark on their orthodontic journeys. As always, we encourage you to keep your end goal in mind—a beautiful new smile. Celebrate the progress you make throughout the process.
Subtle and Spectacular
Lingual braces like InBrace aren’t offered at every orthodontic practice, so it’s always exciting to present this option to patients who might be looking for a less visible option. Our team at Texas Family Orthodontics is renowned in San Antonio for our exceptional standard of service. We can’t wait to meet you at our San Antonio or Windcrest offices!