SIX MONTH BRACES OR QUICKER BRACES

If you’ve been doing your due diligence ahead of making an appointment for yourself or your child to have an orthodontic assessment, you may have heard of six month, short-term or some form of a quicker braces claim. But by not seeing a dentist with full-term braces experience or a specialist orthodontist for your child’s orthodontic treatment, you may be putting the health of their teeth and gums at risk.

A number of short-term or so-called quicker braces treatment options are now in the dental market. These treatments are often marketed as a quicker and more cost-effective alternative to the traditional orthodontic treatment that has been around for decades. Commonly referred to as ‘rapid’, ‘quick’ or ‘six-month’ braces, or more generically, short-term orthodontics. These short-term braces are priced between $5000 and $6000 for approximately 6 months of treatment. While traditional braces is priced between $5000 and $7000 for 12-24 months of treatment.

These braces do not move teeth any faster than the conventional metal or ceramic braces. The “quick” treatment or alignment of the teeth is exactly the same as traditional orthodontics, however the major difference between the two is that these braces only aim to align the teeth, therefore the “quicker” braces are simply removed sooner. If there are jaw discrepancies such as a gap between the upper front teeth sitting over the bottom front teeth,  premature removal of dental braces generally results in an incomplete correction of the orthodontic problems, a substandard finish and often a quicker relapse.

Short-term orthodontic treatment options are predominantly offered to consumers by general dentists with little orthodontic experience. In fact a dentist offering this short-term orthodontic treatment only completes a weekend course! We recommend you do your research on how much training is involved with these marketed “quicker” braces.

Dr Benic recommends finding an experienced dentist who offers short-term as well as long-term (traditional) braces, or a specialist orthodontist. A correct diagnosis enables an informed decision on the best option, whether it be based on cost or the end result.

Dr Benic can talk you though the short-term and long-term orthodontic options. Dr Benic started his orthodontic treatment in 2012, treats simple to moderate cases and refers complex orthodontic cases to a local orthodontist.

At Dental Tooth Fairy we have 4 modern dental clinics – Mt Maunganui, Bethlehem and two in Te Puke. Dr Benic operates out of each location. If you would like to arrange your initial consultation with Dr Benic please contact us here.