Ceramic braces
A ceramic brace is fitted to the front of the teeth. Due to the use of a mix of ceramics and polymers, they are clear or translucent with a slight tint of the same colour as the patient’s teeth. They were once seen as an adult alternative to the standard metal brace, as the first ceramic braces were hard and brittle. This is no longer the case with the inclusion of tough polymers. The clear components can make trapped food more obvious and therefore they require careful and thorough cleaning. Clear braces in Clapham are available.
Clarity with enamel shading
Clarity’s ceramic braces are a proprietary design with ease of fitting and removal in mind. They’re a good alternative to traditional braces and are suitable for the most active lifestyles, with the use of stain-resistant polymers in the brackets.
Radiance dental glass work
The first ceramic braces contained a type of glass, which was later mixed with polymers. Radiance has gone back to glass but by using sapphire glass, developed for premium watch brands, their braces very tough and crystal clear.
InVu colour mixing
InVu has focused on matching the shade of natural teeth during the pre-fitting examination. A digital record is made of the shade and translucency of the patients’ enamel. This is used as a guide during the construction of the brace to produce a very subtle finish, that often goes unnoticed.
The clear aligners options
Smile Direct Club
As one of the UK’s biggest providers, it uses a mix of both at home and in surgery dental services. They operate a set of outlets called smile shops, which can perform initial assessments and dental whitening. If you are not near one of these smile shops, you’ll have to attend a dentist who works with them.
If you do opt for at-home dental moulding, there is an additional cost and if the mould is rejected, you would have to buy a second one. If moulding is performed at a smile shop, you have the option of free whitening!
Straight Teeth Direct
Straight Teeth Direct operate primarily through their own app; after downloading it, you can book a remote consultation. If aligners are appropriate for you, they will continue treatment and send you your aligners in the post.
Their head office/dental clinic is in central London but they are happy to take patients from all over the world. However, their assessment techniques have stopped them getting approval in the USA and India. Full payment is required to start treatment with refunds available if you wish to stop early.
Invisalign
The creators of the clear aligner, achieving FDA approval in 1998 and owning the first intellectual property patterns on orthodontic aligners, Invisalign is by far the largest provider with the longest track record, operating in more than 44 countries. It exclusively works via local dentists, so you’ll have to talk to yours, but the odds are it will be available. As payment is made through your dentist, payment plans and monthly billing is often available.