It feels like it’s been centuries since you got your braces on, and it’s finally time to get them taken off. You’re excited to finally see your pearly whites metal-free again, but you’re a little nervous about what the process entails. Will it hurt? How does the procedure go? Luckily, an dentist is here to soothe your worries about traditional braces removal. Read on to learn about the process step-by-step.
1. Removing the Brackets
First, your dentist will use special pliers to separate each individual bracket from the tooth. This might sound painful, but don’t worry. It won’t be. All you will feel is some slight pressure as the wire snips off from the bracket. You may also hear some cracking noises, but it’s nothing to stress about. There will be absolutely no pain.
2. Polishing Your Teeth
After all the brackets have been removed, there will still be some bracket adhesive left on your teeth. The dentist will use a small tool to gently remove the adhesive. This portion of the process shouldn’t take more than five minutes, and again, it shouldn’t hurt.
3. Looking at Your New Grin
At this point, all traces of your braces have been taken off, so you’ll want to see the way your pearly whites look. Your dentist will let you take a break and look in the mirror at your newly straightened teeth. You’ll finally get to see that all the time spent wearing traditional braces was worth it.
4. Getting Impressions Taken for Retainers
You don’t want all that treatment time to be for nothing. If you leave your teeth alone without wearing a retainer, they will start to shift back into the natural misaligned position they were in before. To prevent this, your dentist will take an impression of your bite to design a retainer that will fit perfectly. You will have to wear your retainer for a prescribed amount of time afterwards, usually a few days, and then you can likely just wear it at night to keep your teeth from drifting.
5. Enjoying Your Newly Straight Smile
Now the process is finally over! The whole thing should take about an hour or less. Afterwards, simply make sure to wear your retainers as often as your dentist tells you to. In addition, be sure to visit your dentist twice a year for regular checkups to make sure your teeth remain in excellent shape.
Getting traditional braces removed is a simple process, and not painful in the least. There’s no need to be scared of finally getting a straight smile!
About the Author
Dr. Dalia Georgy achieved her dental degree from the University of Oklahoma. She loves nothing more than having positive interactions with her patients after helping them to have a more beautiful smile. She is a member of the American Dental Association, the Oklahoma Dental Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. To learn more about straightening your smile, you can reach Dr. Georgy on her website or by phone at (918) 201-1414.