Although the ideal age to get your teeth fixed is the teenage years, adult braces are new quite common. If you’re an adult with disoriented teeth, perhaps you have a few important questions about these braces. Fortunately, adult braces are now more effective and don’t affect your physical appearance much. Dentists maintain that how the braces affect their aesthetics is the primary concern for adults, cost and comfort follow later.

Types of braces
It is very convenient for adults to get braces since they have several options to choose from. However, we must keep in mind that each alternative has its own pros and cons.

• Traditional braces
  With gentle pressure, these braces align your teeth over time. They are connected using metal wires with a single metal bracket glued to the front of your teeth. You can also replace the metal with tooth-colored ceramic brackets and white-colored wires. These braces might be conspicuous, but the treatment time with them is the shortest.
• Teeth aligners
  Aligners are transparent plastic trays that fit over your teeth and remain there throughout the day. You are supposed to remove them only while eating or cleaning. If you’re using aligners, it is important that you keep them for as much time as possible and replace the trays every two weeks. If you’re not cautious of this, it may take more time to see the results when compared to the traditional option.
• Self-ligating braces
  These adult braces are placed over your teeth much like the traditional ones. The difference here is that special clips or brackets are used to allow the archwire to move your teeth into the correct spot. This technique makes the need for elastic bands redundant.
• Lingual braces
  These are like traditional braces, except the brackets are glued to the rear side of the tooth. Lingual braces are almost invisible, and it takes the same amount of time as that of traditional braces to get your teeth aligned.

Cost of adult braces
The cost of the treatment primarily depends on the type of your braces and the duration for which you will be wearing them. Sometimes, your options can be limited based on your specific teeth alignment situation. Typically, the overall orthodontic treatment cost with conventional metal braces can be anywhere between $3,000 and $6,000, while ceramic brackets will increase your expenses between $4,000 and $8,000. Although lingual braces are virtually invisible, they are custom made and the treatment can cost you between $8,000 and $10,000. The most common brand of teeth aligners, i.e., Invisalign, will cost you between $3,000 and $8,000, depending on various factors.

Treatment duration
The time taken for treatment considerably depends on the severity of the tooth misalignment and the type of solution you chose. A general orthodontic treatment using metal or ceramic braces takes 18 to 22 months. If you’re an adult using an aligner, the duration of the treatment will vary if you’re not using them properly. Aligners are supposed to remain in your teeth for 20-22 hours daily and must be taken off only during eating, brushing, and flossing.