Shape Magazine
5 Common Mouth Problems...and Solutions
To ensure the health of your gums and help you maintain a star-quality smile, we've tracked down answers to five of your most common oral-care questions.
Q I wore braces as a teen, but now I've developed gaps between my top teeth. Why--and is there a no-braces solution?A It's normal for everyone's teeth to shift throughout life--so yours is a common problem, particularly among women in their 30s who wore braces at one point.
The good news is that you don't need an Ugly Betty-style mouth of metal to correct your smile. A cosmetic dentist can bond thin, long-lasting porcelain veneers on top of teeth to cover gaps and even overlapping. If you're on a budget or don't need your teeth fixed overnight, Invisalign braces are the way to go. You'll wear a series of clear, custom-molded plastic trays that snap over your teeth and guide them into place. Unlike braces and retainers of old, however, no one will be able to tell you've got them on. You switch to a new set of aligners every few weeks as your teeth shift into position. Your smile will look less crooked within the first two weeks, but the procedure can take up to two years to completely straighten your teeth. The cost is comparable to traditional braces: $3,500 to $5,000, depending on the severity of your case.
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