What Are Six Month Smiles Braces

Not having a smile that feels perfect to ourselves can really affect our confidence, and sadly, 71% of British adults don’t feel confident showing their teeth. As dentistry has developed, new, easier alternatives for aligning teeth have emerged.

At Didsbury Dental Practice, we provide a variety of options when it comes to aligning your teeth. In this blog, we are going to be highlighting how you can get a perfect smile in a fraction of the time it would take with braces, with Six Month Smiles – but what are Six Month Smiles?

Luckily for you, we at Didsbury Dental Practice have collected all the answers you will need in order for you to know what we offer, and how it can help your teeth today.

Can the NHS offer this?

Due to underfunding of the NHS over the years, the COVID-19 pandemic as well as new patients, NHS dentists are backlogged.

For the 65 million people in the UK, there are only 47,000 dental practitioners to help the population maintain good oral health. This comes out as almost 1383 patients per dental practitioner, and not all of these 47,000 dental practitioners practice orthodontics, highlighting the difficulty dental practitioners face with minimal support.

Due to this, the allocation of orthodontic care through the NHS is unlikely for someone with perfectly healthy oral health, aesthetics is not considered a priority and factoring in the previously highlighted statistic, is understandable.

There is a possibility you can obtain orthodontic care through the NHS, however, this is approved on a case-by-case basis.

If you do obtain orthodontic care through the NHS, it is extremely unlikely that Six Months Smiles braces would be available as an option. This is because the NHS tests orthodontic eligibility via a rating system known as ‘IOTN’. Scoring a 4 or 5 would make an under 18 eligible for orthodontic treatment through the NHS, anything below 4 means you would not qualify for orthodontic treatment by the NHS.

To be suitable means the subject’s teeth need a more thorough correction as opposed to the function of the Six Months Smiles brace, as this is an option for people who don’t already need complex orthodontic treatment.

If you’d like a full insight as to why doctors aren’t seeing NHS patients, you can check out our blog for all the information that can help you decide the future of your oral health.

We also have a blog on what can be considered a tooth emergency, which will keep you informed on what to do in case of a tooth emergency.

Private dental practices like ours have more freedom when it comes to treatment options, whether it’s for aesthetic purposes or to help your overall oral health we are legally qualified to help you. Pricing of private dental care can seem daunting, but to help we’ve made our prices as accessible as possible so we offer a finance option for your dental treatment.

As we continue, we are going to share with you some options you can use to get your perfect smile. As we continue, it should be noted in regards to the treatments we are going to discuss, that before any treatment can begin our dentist must asses the condition your teeth are in so they can know for certain which method of treatment would be effective and beneficial.

What Are Six Month Smiles?

Sometimes when considering orthodontic treatment, the length of time it takes to get your perfect smile is definitely a drawback, along with the maintenance, and extra care needed to facilitate the function of braces.

But for the people who don’t need complex dental treatment and just wanted to straighten their smile, what if we told you there was an option available that could fix your smile in six months?

Six Month Smiles short-term orthodontics is an advanced technique, which uses clear brackets and almost invisible wires or clear plastic retainers, (depending on the individual case) to gently move misaligned teeth to their desired position, giving you straighter teeth in a shorter time.

Not having to deal with the cumbersome nature of some braces, provides a much more hassle-free option which is done at the fraction of the time.

The appliances themselves are virtually invisible meaning that this is a perfect treatment to correct slight overcrowding, or for those who have previously had orthodontic treatment but whose teeth have shifted back over time. Best of all short-term orthodontics is usually completed in around 6 months, depending on the case – around a third of the time taken for traditional orthodontics.

The short-term nature of these alignments provides a convenient, less time-consuming and hassle-free option however, this treatment may not be appropriate for everyone. We encourage you to book a consultation with us so we can assess the best option for you to smile even sooner.

Alternatives we offer

Invisalign®

Invisalign ® is the most discreet option that we offer when it comes to realigning your teeth, achieved by using a clear plastic mould over your teeth known as an aligner. The aligner is custom-made for your teeth based on an impression we take at your initial consultation, which is then changed every 2-3 weeks in accordance with the realignment of your teeth.

The benefit of the Invisalign aligner, as opposed to fixed metal braces, is that the user is able to enjoy food and drink more freely, whilst also not requiring wiring as metal braces do, and is removable whenever the user chooses, and of course, invisible.

Invisalign can be used to treat quite a few misalignment issues with your teeth including:

Gap teeth
Overbite
Underbite
Open bite
Crossbite
Crowded Teeth

The length of Invisalign ® treatments is subject to the patient. On average treatments can go on for 12 months with this style of invisible braces, however, it is possible to see results in as little as 2 weeks.

Similar to Six Month Smiles, there are no downsides to using Invisalign ® as long as the user follows the guidelines set by their orthodontist (people with complex dental issues may not be suitable for Invisalign ® to find out if you are suitable, book a consultation today).

Alias lingual braces

Lingual braces offer complete discretion as these invisible braces are instead mounted at the back of your teeth rather than the front, Ideal for anyone seeking braces without anyone being able to see them.

Lingual braces are made by taking an impression of your teeth which is then sent to the dental laboratory and then used to create customised braces for the back of your teeth from non-allergenic gold.

Like traditional braces, lingual braces work by gently moving the misaligned teeth into place. Unlike Six Months Smiles, treatment for lingual braces can last from 18-36 months depending on the severity of tooth misalignment.

To see if lingual braces are the right choice for you, book a consultation or check out our website for more information.

Damon Braces

Another unique form of invisible braces that adapt to the tooth’s natural colour, the Damon braces are another discreet option that features low brackets that don’t stain, making them comfortable, efficient and invisible.

Using a unique slide mechanism Damon braces reduce pressure on your teeth, allowing them to move comfortably to their intended positions, and reducing the aches and pains associated with regular metal track braces.

An extra benefit of Damon braces is the lack of elastic or metal ties, making dental hygiene much easier as the absence of the ties negates the accumulation of plaque in the areas that ties usually are in.

For a consultation to see if Damon braces are right for you, click here to enter our website.

We are here to help

Aside from the range of treatments and orthodontic services we offer, as a 24-hour emergency dentist, you can rest assured that we at Didsbury Dental Practice are here for you whenever you need it. Whether you’re looking for a new reliable dental practitioner or looking for realignment treatment for your teeth, we have what you’re looking for. We hope to have answered the question ‘What are Six Month Smiles?’ whilst providing you with all the information that we at Didsbury Dental Practice can offer you.

For all the information you need to know about dentistry, be sure to check out our blog page.

Want to book a consultation? Click the link here to be taken to our website.

Our opening hours are from 9:00 AM – 12:00 AM – Monday to Sunday.

If you’d like to speak to us on the phone, call us on 0161 504 7425.