Orthodontics

Braces in Frodsham and Helsby

Straightening for crowded, crooked or gappy teeth, and for a bite that meets unevenly. Fixed braces start at £3,800, and tooth-coloured braces and clear aligners are quoted after an assessment.

Request an appointment 01928 722521

The right appliance depends on what your bite is doing as well as how your teeth look, so treatment is subject to a dental assessment. Your dentist will tell you which appliance would work for you. Individual results vary.

Dentist showing a patient an orthodontic appliance

The options

Which appliance, and why

There are three broad ways of moving teeth, and the choice is mostly clinical rather than a matter of taste. What the bite is doing, and which way each tooth needs to travel, narrows it down before appearance comes into it.

Fixed metal braces

Brackets glued to the teeth with a wire across them, adjusted as you go. They show more than the other options, and in return they can correct the bite as well as straighten the teeth, including in more complex cases.

Because they stay on, there is nothing to remember to wear, which suits many teenagers.

Tooth-coloured fixed braces

The same system with ceramic brackets closer to the colour of your teeth. Less obvious from a few feet away, though the wire still shows.

They work the same way and take about the same time. They cost more than metal, and the brackets are more brittle, so your dentist will check they suit your bite.

Clear aligners

A series of removable clear trays, each one moving the teeth a little further. They are less noticeable than fixed braces, and you take them out to eat.

They work while they are in, so they suit people who will wear them most of the day. They also suit a narrower range of cases than fixed braces, and your assessment shows whether yours is one of them.

How Invisalign works here

Treatment commonly runs from about six to eighteen months. A mild case of crowding is at the shorter end. A bite that needs correcting is at the longer end, and some take longer still. Your dentist gives you your own estimate at the assessment.

Afterwards

Retainers hold teeth where treatment put them

This is worth knowing before you start. Straightened teeth tend to drift back towards where they started, and that tendency continues throughout life.

What that means in practice

  • A retainer is part of your treatment from the start
  • Removable ones are worn at night, long term
  • Fixed ones are a thin wire bonded behind the front teeth
  • Either will need replacing in time, which is a separate cost
  • Teeth can move if a retainer is left out or breaks, however long ago treatment finished

Your dentist will tell you which retainer suits your case and how long to wear it. Some people get on better with a fixed wire because there is nothing to remember. Others would rather have something they can take out.

Whichever you choose, wearing it is what keeps your teeth in line.

Ask at your assessment what retention will involve and what it costs, so you have the whole picture before you decide whether to start.

Paying for it

What orthodontic treatment costs

Orthodontic treatment at our practice is private.

Private orthodontics

from £3,800

Fixed braces, as published on our private fee list. Tooth-coloured braces and clear aligners are quoted after an assessment, because the appliance and the number of stages decide the cost.

  • Treatment for mild cases as well as more complex ones
  • A choice of metal braces, tooth-coloured braces or clear aligners, where your case suits them

You get the total in writing before treatment starts.

If the cost is a concern, say so at your assessment, and your dentist will talk you through every option open to you.

Common questions

Questions about braces

Asked at the assessment, mostly.

Am I too old for braces?

Teeth can be moved at any age, because the bone around them keeps remodelling throughout life. Adult treatment tends to take a little longer, and the plan is often different, since adults usually have fillings, crowns and gum history to work around.

How often will I need to come in?

With fixed braces, every six to eight weeks for an adjustment, and those appointments are short. Keeping to them helps your treatment finish on time.

Does it hurt?

Expect soreness rather than sharp pain. Teeth feel tender and bruised for a few days after a brace goes on and after each adjustment, and chewing can be uncomfortable for a while. Soft food and ordinary painkillers usually help. It settles, and may come back briefly after the next adjustment.

Can I have aligners instead of a fixed brace?

If your case suits them. Aligners work well for crowding and spacing. Where teeth need turning a long way or the bite needs a bigger change, fixed braces usually suit better, and your dentist will tell you which applies to you.

Will I need teeth taken out?

Sometimes, where the teeth need more room to line up. If it is recommended, your dentist will explain why before you decide anything.

What if I just want my front teeth straightened?

Then say so. A limited treatment aimed at the teeth that show can be quicker and cheaper than a full course, and for some people it is exactly the right answer. Your dentist checks first that it would keep your bite healthy.

Find out which option suits your teeth

At your assessment at 208 Chester Road in Helsby, your dentist checks your teeth and bite and explains which options would work for you, roughly how long treatment would take and what it would cost. Then you go home and think it over.

01928 722521 Request an appointment