The Alkali guide to straighter

teeth
By Dr Aalok Y Shukla BDS(lon) Clinical Director
1. Self Assessment : Which braces for me ? How long will I have to keep them for ?

2. Why are my teeth crooked ?

3. How do braces straighten my teeth ?

4. The different types of braces available.

5. Other treatments that can improve your smile.

6. How should I look after my new smile ?

7. Why Alkali ?
Self assessment : Which braces for me ? How long will I have to keep them for ?
Self Assesment : Which braces for me ? How long will I have to keep them for ?

Only the lower or upper front 4 Both lower or upper front 4 teeth The teeth are very crooked &
teeth need straightening need straightening twisted

An accelerated removable brace would be the fastest way

to treat this (8 to 20 weeks)
An invisible brace can also be used for these treatments in
most cases but could take longer depending on the tooth
position (5-6months for simple cases)
!
Generally a clear fixed brace is best here as there is total
control of movement of all teeth thus allowing even very
crowded cases to be treated quickly & effectively in most
cases 4 -8 months. Average time = 6 months.

1
.
Why are my teeth crooked ?

There is naturally a balance of forces in your mouth, the tongue pushes forwards & the lip muscles pull backwards.
Then there is also a limited space in your mouth, which is determined by your jaw size. This means when your teeth
are coming up out of the gums, they are guided by
the space available & the forces acting on them. Did you know the ancient Egyptians used to
These forces keep acting throughout life so when teeth straighten their teeth by pressing the out of
place tooth with their finger for 16 hours a day ?
have been straightened, they have to be held there. The tooth will respond to a gradual continuous
pressure no matter where it's from.
!

2
 How do braces straighten my teeth ?

* Expansion - with accelerated braces & fixed braces. It is where the teeth can be encouraged to spread out in the jaw a little, thus
creating some space.
* IPR (interproximal reduction) - when small amounts of enamel are smoothed away in order to gain space. Each tooth has around
1.5mm of enamel all the way around it, up to 0.4mm can be removed from specific points safely with no risk to the tooth, there have
been innumerable studies demonstrating this. When this is done on several teeth the result is the accumulation of space, and when
combined with expansion there is a synergistic benefit.
* Extractions - this is the traditional way, when the crowding is severe, then one or more teeth may need to be removed in order to
allow the smile to be straightened.

How long does it take ?

Front teeth can be moved safely & effectively in as little as 8 weeks with typical times being 4-7 months for straightening out a smile
(not moving molar teeth).

How does it feel ?

It feels tight and possibly a little sore for the first 2 weeks. Some people take some ibuprofen, but most people don’t need to take
anything. Then the teeth become a little bit loose, which allows the movement to take place.
3
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 The different types of braces
Clear fixed braces

Clear fixed braces are a great way to solve the more complex crowded smiles as the teeth can be moved in all dimensions, they allow much more
control & finishing by the dentist. They are quite discreet and don’t impact speech. Brands such as Damon clear, and Six month smiles are this type.

How does it look ?

There are small clear squares attached to the teeth, the teeth need to be brushed as normal, and you can use superfloss to floss the teeth intimately.
Additionally items such as the waterpik waterflosser are good for maintaining dental hygiene.
You may also have some “biteguards” placed on back teeth, these are to prevent your back teeth knocking brackets off & to accelerate the treatment.

8 weeks
 Accelerated removable braces
Accelerated removable braces
Accelerated braces such as the Inman aligner are fantastic for solving minor alignment issues of the front four teeth. They work on
Accelerated braces
upper & lower suchwell,
teeth as and
the Inman
need aligner are about
to be worn fantastic forhours
16-18 solving minorforalignment
a day the best issues
results.ofThey
the front four teeth.
do affect speechThey workwith
a little, on the
upper & lower
bottom onesteeth
therewell, andmore
is much needadaption.
to be worn about
They 16-18
need to hours a day
be taken outfor
forthe bestand
eating results.
theyThey
candobeaffect speech
removed a little,occasions.
for social with the
bottom ones there is much more adaption. They need to be taken out for eating and they can be removed for social occasions.
How does it look ?
How does it look ?
Frequently we place small squares on 2 teeth to allow the accelerated brace to clip in, these are tooth coloured and are barely
Frequently weand
noticeable, place small
your bitesquares on 2 teethfeel
may temporarily to allow the accelerated brace to clip in, these are tooth coloured and are barely
different
noticeable, and your bite may temporarily feel different

16 weeks
Invisible braces
Invisible braces are very popular nowadays largely through the marketing efforts of Invisalign who have done a lot to raise
awareness. They were first developed by 2 business students, one who had worn braces but had not worn their retainer for a while
and then noticed his teeth had started to move back, he took some painkillers and jammed in his old retainer (not entirely
advisable!) and he noticed that the teeth moved back into position, this led the pair to see if larger tooth movements could be
done by sequential aligners, this led to Invisalign. Invisible aligners had been used for many years in dentistry, but Invisalign
developed the technology further.
Invisalign is simply a brand though, and many different companies such as Clearstep & Simpli5 manufacture invisible braces. They
are great for minor tooth movements, and can be used well in more complex cases, however they are not the most efficient choice
for certain tooth movements such as rotations and moving teeth up and down. In those instances it takes longer than other methods
to straighten the teeth & it would generally cost much more (owing to the manufacturing costs of making more aligners).

How does it look ?

Frequently we place small squares on some teeth
to allow the invisible brace to grip the teeth for specific movements
Lingual braces

These are fixed braces that are on the back of the teeth.
They are therefore invisible and have the advantage of 3D control as well.
They are significantly more expensive than other orthodontic options owing
to the specialised brackets & training needed. Speech is affected and eating
can be a little difficult initially but everyone adapts well.
 Other
Other treatments
treatments that
that can
can improve
improve your smile.
smile

Teeth whitening
Teeth whitening- to
- tobrighten thethe
brighten teeth.
teeth.

AER bonding
AER bonding (artificial
(artificialenamel replacement
enamel bonding)
replacement - to fix- chipped
bonding) edges edges
to fix chipped

Cosmetic gum treatment - to reshape the uneven gum levels

Cosmetic gum treatment - to reshape the uneven gum levels

AER bonding & teeth whitening

AER bonding & teeth whitening
5
How should
How should II look
look after
after my
my new
new smile
smile ??

Stay away
Stay away from
from abrasive
abrasive smokers
smokers toothpastes
toothpastes which
which can
can wear
wearaway
awaythe
theenamel,
enamel,

Be careful
Be careful with
with citrus
citrus fruits
fruits && juices
juices such
such as
as oranges
oranges // grapefruits
grapefruitswhich
whichcan
canthin
thinthe
theenamel
enamelleading
leadingtotodarker,
darker,weaker
weaker
teeth.
teeth.
Electric toothbrushes
Electric toothbrushes are
are aa better
better solution
solution than
than regular
regular ones,
ones,any
anyultrasonic
ultrasonicone
oneisisgreat
greatififused
usedeffectively
effectivelyand
and
thoroughly. The
thoroughly. The brush
brush heads
heads should
should be
be checked
checked andand replaced
replacedwhen
whenneeded.
needed.

Only one in four people agree with the statement

Only one in four people agree with the statement
‘I like my smile and would not change it’. What
‘I like my smile and would not change it’. What
about you ?
about you ?

6
 Why alkali ?
Why alkali ?
With health inside & beauty outside your confidence can be unleashed.
Traditional
With dentistry
health inside & outside
& beauty healthcare is basedcan
your confidence onbe
theunleashed.
reparative model, when something is broken it is then
repaired.dentistry
Traditional Traditional cosmetic
& healthcare treatments
is based are aimed
on the reparative atwhen
model, creating a false
something perfection,
is broken it is then in many Traditional
repaired. cases the
treatments
cosmetic provided
treatments are atquite
are aimed harmful
creating a false&perfection,
can weaken thecases
in many teeth
the & facial structures.
treatments provided are quite harmful & can
weaken the teeth & facial structures.
Alkali Aesthetics & Wellbeing is the next generation of dental care & skin aesthetics. Alkali is dedicated to
Alkali Aesthetics
providing state& Wellbeing is the
of the art next generation
preventive of dental
dentistry. Wecare
are& skin aesthetics.
experts Alkali is dedicated
in conservative smileto &providing state of the art
facial enhancement-
preventive dentistry. We are experts in conservative smile & facial enhancement- through our innovative & tooth friendly whitening,
through our& strengthening
straightening innovative &treatments.
tooth friendly
We alsowhitening, straightening
provide minimally invasive skin&rejuvenation
strengthening treatments.
treatments which can We
add also
the finishing
provide
touches minimally
to your invasivelook.
more confident skin rejuvenation treatments which can add the finishing touches to your more
confident look.

7
.
Our straight smiler package
* Straight teeth consultation to learn about all your options (Exam and Xrays) £50
* Discrete and invisible teeth braces to solve all problems £ 1850
* Artificial Enamel Replacement of the worn edges of your front teeth included (AER bonding) £700
* Professional jet wash cleaning while getting your teeth straightened £ 240
* Teeth whitening £ 250
* 12 months after care (Includes a complete dental exam & 2 professional teeth cleaning appointments) £196.50
* Fixed & removable retainers fully guaranteed for 12 months £ 650
* Straight teeth in 6 months or your money back guarantee

* 0 % Interest payment & flexible monthly payments

Alkali Aesthetics & Wellbeing
0208 788 8588
TOTAL : £ 3936.5
226a Upper Richmond Road, Putney, London
SPECIAL OFFER FOR THIS GUIDE : £ 1850
alkaliaesthetics.co.uk
hello@alkaliaesthetics.co.uk