When it comes to fixing crooked teeth, the speed of the process largely depends on the severity of the misalignment and the specific treatment method chosen. There are four primary methods available:
- Invisalign
- Traditional braces
- Jaw surgery
- Veneers
For those with minor crooked teeth, veneers offer the quickest solution with results seen in as little as two appointments.
In cases of intermediate crookedness, wearing clear aligners like Invisalign, can typically straighten teeth within a timeframe of six to 24 months. In a minority of cases, you could see results in four months.
However, for individuals with severely crooked teeth or significant bite issues, jaw surgery may be necessary. After the surgery, you will likely need to follow up with Invisalign or braces, which means the complete treatment will add up to two years or more.
What are crooked teeth
Three aspects make up nice-looking teeth: colour, alignment and shape.
Colour
Improving colour of your teeth generally starts with teeth whitening, but some stains do not respond to treatment.
In this case, we can use a veneer to cover the stained tooth and ensure uniformity of colour among your teeth.
Alignment
Teeth that have a gradual taper and regular-spaced gaps look pleasant.
Veneers can create a more pleasant visual aspect of your teeth by smoothing lines and creating uniform gaps.
Shape
Uniformity and symmetry create harmony in your smile.
Sometimes, due to damage or genetics, we have teeth that don’t mirror well.
In this case, a veneer can create symmetry and uniformity.
People perceive you to have crooked teeth due to poor alignment and inconsistent shape of your teeth such as inconsistent gaps, jutting teeth and inconsistently angled teeth.
So, there are two aspects that we must fix: alignment and shape
| Issue causing crooked teeth | Solution | Timelines |
| Teeth alignment | Veneers (minor) | 2 appts |
| Teeth alignment | Invisalign | 6 – 24 months |
| Teeth alignment | Braces | 12 – 36 months |
| Teeth alignment | Jaw surgery (major) | >2 years |
| Teeth shape | Veneers | 2 appts |
Veneers
- Corrects teeth shape
- Minor alignments
Veneers are the quickest option for those looking to correct the shape of their teeth or address minor misalignments. By applying thin layers of porcelain or composite resin to the front surface of the teeth, veneers can create a uniform appearance and reduce inconsistencies in tooth shape. This method can produce results in just two appointments, and to ensure suitability to your preferences, we have a trial process for you to test out whether you like the colour of your veneers before committing.
Invisalign
- For most teeth alignment cases
Invisalign, on the other hand, is designed for a broader range of alignment issues and can be a quicker and more flexible alternative to traditional braces.
While braces typically take anywhere from one to three years to complete the alignment process, Invisalign can often achieve similar results in six to 24 months.
One of the major advantages of Invisalign is its removability, allowing you to take the aligners off for special occasions like weddings and other photo opportunities, or to maintain your regular dental hygiene routine. While braces require the use of special interdental brushes and often restrict certain foods, Invisalign aligners can be taken out, making it easier to clean your teeth and enjoy your favourite meals.
Speeding up Invisalign treatment with new techniques
We’ve been keeping up with research on how to accelerate cell turnover so that teeth can be straightened quicker. Areas like using vibration, light therapy, ultrasound stimulation (piezotome) are studied with promising results. They can reduce treatment time by about 30 to 60 per cent, which means a treatment that requires two years can be shortened to one year or so.
Gentle Smile Dental Studio uses a light therapy device called PBM Ortho. The mouthpiece has LEDs that emit 850-nanometre near-infrared light that encourages increased cell turnover allowing quicker teeth movement. What you’d need to do is to use the mouthpiece for four-minutes per day per arch.
In ideal situations, PBM Ortho can speed up how fast you move onto the next aligner from 8.5 days to three days. The limiting factor for teeth movement will be the rate at which the cells turnover. Excessive forces and movement too quickly can lead to loss of structure in the bone and tooth, which is why we closely monitor all Invisalign treatments, and with Virtual Care, you’re able to update your progress from home.
Braces
- For severe crooked teeth alignment cases
Braces may be the go to for some dentists for more severe malocclusion. There are also dentists who are equally competent in treating severe malocclusion with Invisalign.
The bigger advantage of braces is that it’s in the mouth all the time, while for Invisalign it can be removed and requires you to place the aligner back on. The removable nature of Invisalign means that the effectiveness of the treatment depends significantly on the patient’s commitment to wearing the aligners as instructed, whereas patients with braces don’t face this issue as braces are not removable.
Though braces may be more cumbersome, they are highly effective at treating even the most challenging cases of misalignment.
Jaw surgery
- For cases where Invisalign or braces won’t fix the misalignment
In the most extreme cases, where neither Invisalign nor braces can adequately correct the problem, jaw surgery may be recommended.
This surgical procedure is typically necessary for patients with severe overbites, underbites, or other jaw-related issues that cannot be resolved through orthodontic treatments alone.
Jaw surgery not only repositions the jaw for a better bite and less wear on the teeth but can also enhance the overall appearance of your smile by reducing a gummy smile and improving facial symmetry. However, it is a significant procedure that involves downtime and dietary changes during recovery.
