Wouldn’t it be great if your orthodontic braces were cleverly hidden behind your teeth, so nobody could see them? Well, that’s the idea behind lingual braces, says Dr. Menachem Roth of Carvalho and Roth Orthodontics in Newton Centre, Marlborough, and Northborough, Massachusetts, but they’re not for everyone.
Lingual braces are traditional metal braces, but instead of being bonded to the outside of the teeth they are bonded to the insides of the teeth. The primary advantage — really the only advantage — is aesthetics. Essentially you have all the benefits of a full set of traditional metal braces, but no negative aesthetic consequences.
Generally, lingual braces are bonded on in place. With traditional orthodontic braces, they are glued on one by one to the tooth. But with lingual braces, the backs are custom-made using the mold of the teeth, then bonded in place as one unit using a custom-made tray.
Custom-Made and Expensive
Because of this process, lingual braces are expensive, as the back, or pad, of each brace needs to be custom-made to fit the back of the teeth. This is because people have much more variation with their teeth on the back than they do on the front. And not a lot of orthodontists offer lingual braces for the simple fact that in general, each adjustment takes longer as they are difficult to see clearly because of their position in the mouth and therefore difficult to manipulate the wires.
Lingual braces are also right against the tongue on the upper and lower teeth, so they do tend to cause irritation and discomfort to the tongue. Not everyone is ready for that, but as the majority of people who have lingual braces put on are adults, they are prepared beforehand for whatever discomfort they may feel.
Usually Adults Only
We do few lingual braces in our three offices. Generally speaking, the patients who request them are usually adults who cannot be treated with an invisible brace like Invisalign, but really do not anything showing on the front teeth, which is why they would opt for lingual braces.
It is difficult to accurately list reasons why some people are not good candidates for Invisalign; it all depends on who you ask. It is a product that occasionally does not get good results, in certain cases which are too complicated to go into here. Certain treatment plans are inappropriate for Invisalign so traditional braces are normally used instead, but sometimes patients would choose lingual braces.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
