If your teeth are not straight, you have different options for straightening them. What your options are depends on how crooked your teeth are and how many of your teeth are crooked. Below is some more information about this so you can determine what will work best for you.

Teeth Contouring

If your teeth are misshapen, such as if some of your teeth being too long, they may look crooked. To take care of this problem, your dentist can do a procedure known as teeth contouring. First, the dentist will determine where your teeth need to be reshaped and will mark these areas with a pen. They will use a sanding instrument to remove a few millimeters of enamel at a time until the teeth are the right shape or length. When the process is finished, the dentist will smooth and polish the teeth.

If your teeth are too short, the dentist may reshape them so they are at the right angles to make them look longer.

Another option would be to have porcelain veneers to lengthen your teeth so all your teeth will be the same size. Porcelain veneers are very thin and are custom made to cover your teeth. The veneers are made to match the color of your teeth. The dentist bonds the porcelain covers to the teeth to keep them secure. These veneers can be used to not only lengthen teeth but also to change the size, shape, and color of them.

Spring Retainer

If you only have a few teeth that are crooked, the dentist may choose to use a spring retainer instead of braces. This retainer is custom made to fit your mouth and is removable. The dentist first makes an impression of your teeth with plaster. The dentist sends the plaster mold to a lab to have the spring retainer made. If you wear the spring retainer correctly, your teeth will align very quickly.

If you think you will not wear the retainer because you can remove it, you can ask the dentist for a bonded retainer that cannot be removed.

Braces

If most of your teeth are crooked, the only way to get them straight is by wearing braces. There are traditional metal braces that use metal brackets and wires to straighten your teeth. The brackets used today are much smaller than brackets of the past, so they are less noticeable. You will have to go back to the orthodontist every few weeks to have the braces tightened.

There are also ceramic braces that are much less noticeable. They work just like the metal braces, but instead of metal, the brackets are either clear or tooth colored. The orthodontist can also use wires that match the color of your teeth.

Talk with a professional from an organization such as Reed & Sahlaney Orthodontics, LLP about these three options to learn much more about them.