Recently, patients have been raving about a fairly new form of braces claiming they can straighten teeth in just six months. The company, Six Month Smiles, allows dentists to offer short-term orthodontic treatment to patients. While this is appealing to patients who desire straighter teeth without the extended treatment time of traditional braces, Six Month Smiles raises some concern in orthodontists.
At Trapnell Orthodontics in Utah County, we strive to provide patients with the most effective treatment for problematic teeth. We know straightening teeth and correcting bite issues takes time and precise planning. Following the trend of one of our last blog posts, we thought we’d take an in-depth look at Six Month Smiles. Take a moment to learn more about how this form of treatment works, and whether it’s a viable option.
How Does Six Month Smiles Work?
Short-term orthodontics is really nothing new. However, the growing popularity around Six Month Smiles certainly is. While patients may get excited when they hear they can achieve straight teeth in just six months, there may be a catch here.
The concept behind Six Month Smiles is actually quite simple. Dentists can attend a two-day seminar, in which they are briefly trained to apply the braces to their patients. After the seminar they can provide any patient over 16 with quick orthodontic treatment. Easy, right?
From an orthodontist’s standpoint, the quick training dentists must attend raises some concern. Orthodontists train, practice, and study rigorously to provide effective treatment to patients. While dentists are also highly-educated and well-trained, orthodontists should really be the only ones offering braces to patients. Regardless, the question remains the same: are these braces a good option for patients?
Is Six Month Smiles an Effective Option?
As mentioned, short term orthodontics isn’t a new trend. The reason Six Month Smiles boasts such a short treatment time is the braces are placed to specifically straighten teeth. Problems like improper bites and impacted teeth aren’t even considered in the process. In short, Six Month Smiles focuses solely on the front teeth—the ones that show when you smile. So, while this still may be appealing to patients, straightening teeth without paying mind to an improper bite could pose a problem.
With this, acquiring a straighter smile in just six months begins to make a little more sense, but really only to patients with great bites in the back, and only mild alignment issues up front. Even then, it’s always best to visit a trained orthodontist for treatment.
Leave Straightening Teeth to Trapnell Orthodontics
Six Month Smiles may seem like a great option for patients who seek straighter teeth, but orthodontic treatment should really be done by, well, orthodontists. It could be a viable option for patients with great bites and moderately crooked teeth, but we still encourage patients to visit Trapnell Orthodontics in Utah County for their teeth-straightening needs.
If you’d like to correct crooked teeth, and poor bites as well, you can contact us here. We proudly serve patients in Provo, Payson, Springville, and Spanish Fork. We’d love to help!
