Lingual Orthodontics -Procedures, Side effects, Recovery time, Costs and alternatives

Lingual orthodontics, also known as lingual braces, are a special type of treatment that is used to properly position misaligned, crooked, overlapping or widely spaced teeth and uneven bites. They serve the same purpose as a regular dental brace, which is to apply a gentle force on the teeth so that they gradually move and align themselves in a suitable position. The difference is that regular braces are placed at the front of the teeth, while lingual braces are placed at the back. This makes them invisible from the outside and is one of the main reasons people choose to go for this treatment.

People who are conscious of their looks and aesthetics generally prefer to get lingual braces. But it has more advantages other than just being invisible. These braces are custom made for patients, so that it fits more comfortably and provides effective results. It should be noted that not every dentist/orthodontist can provide this treatment, as only those who have undertaken special training in lingual orthodontics are allowed to practice it. The overall process of completely aligning the teeth in correct position does take a long time, usually more than a year, as the movement of teeth is slow and unnoticeable.

The choice of getting braces is a patient’s own decision, so any person who has problems with teeth alignment can decide to get lingual braces. The procedure is also very simple and does not require the patient to go through any prerequisites. As long as both the dentist and patient have no objections with the treatment, the treatment is available for all those who have some sort of teeth misalignment.

There are a few cases where the dentist will suggest a patient not to get lingual braces. Children with small teeth may not be able to get lingual braces as it becomes very difficult to stick the brackets to the back of their teeth. People with overbite are also advised not to have lingual braces. Overbite is when a person’s upper jaw overlaps the lower jaw when the mouth is in normal resting position. Lingual braces of the upper jaw will frequently collide with the teeth of lower jaw in people with deep overbites so the braces tend to break quickly. It is best to follow the dentist’s advice to know if lingual braces are suitable or not.

After having the lingual braces placed, patients may experience the following side effects:

To achieve best results over the course of treatment using lingual braces, specific guidelines must be followed. These are some common instructions the dentist may provide:

The time period for the braces to stay on varies in every case. But it often takes at least 12 months or more for the braces to work and perfectly align the teeth.

Even after the braces are taken off, the teeth can still revert back to their original misaligned position. So the patient usually has to wear a retainer for some time after removing the braces. The retainer is a device that keeps your correctly positioned teeth firmly in its place and stops the teeth from going back to its original position. Again, the time period to have retainers on may vary among people, but on average, dentists advise people to wear the retainer for another 10-12 months. Hence, it may take 2 years or more to complete the lingual orthodontics treatment.

The average cost for a person to get lingual braces is in the range of Rs. 1 to 2 lakhs. However, this is an estimate figure, and actual prices significantly depending upon the location and the institution where the process will be done. There are different types and brands of lingual braces available so that will also affect the cost. Those wanting to get this procedure done should expect and be prepared for a cost of 1 lakhs or above. Lingual braces are certainly more expensive than the regular ones.

Under normal conditions, lingual braces are effective in correcting the alignment of teeth and the results are permanent in most cases. Some patients may have to wear permanent retainers that cannot be removed, in order to keep the teeth in proper position. And unless the teeth is affected by some external force, the results of using lingual braces remain for a long term.

The first and most obvious alternate treatment is to get a regular dental brace. As mentioned earlier, it has the same function as that of a lingual brace but it is placed at the front of the teeth.

Even the brackets, wires and the process of placing them on the teeth are mostly similar in case of both braces. Both lingual and regular braces are also equally effective in fixing the teeth.

Another alternative is Invisalign, and it is gaining a lot of popularity as well. It is basically a plastic aligner that is also custom made for the patient’s teeth. Invisalign is nearly invisible, but it can be identified with a bit of keen observation. Using this to correct the teeth’s alignment will also take about a year in general, during which time the plastic aligners will be changed after regular intervals. Comparing these different alternatives and declaring one method to be better than the other is not possible. Each form of treatment is effective in correcting the alignment of teeth and its usually just a matter of preference and choice of patients.