Teeth Straightening

The Best Ortho in Tustin, CA

Teeth Straightening, Tustin, California

Your smile is one of your most defining characteristics. Studies show that people are naturally attracted to smiling faces more than resting faces. So you have every reason to make sure your smile is at a perfect ten! For many of our Tustin patients, perfecting their smile means correcting their smiles and their bites with orthodontic treatment. Orthodontics can tame your wily smile by fixing: crookedness, overcrowding, gaps between teeth, over and underbites, crossbite, open bite, and more bite misalignment problems!

Teeth straightening is an incredibly popular procedure, especially with our wide variety of braces and aligner options to allow you to fix your smile on your terms. At Gold Coast Dental Tustin, we're experts at crafting your new smile with a detailed and attentive eye. We do everything we can to make your journey to a straight smile as smooth and painless as possible, no matter which treatment you use. It’s our firm belief that dentistry, whether cosmetic or otherwise, should be stress-free and give you an amazing experience.

We leave all the other orthodontists in the dust with our collective skill, knowledge, and experience. Our Tustin team has you covered, from metal and ceramic braces, Invisalign, expanders, and retainers, and we're eager to get your teeth aligned right away. If it's time for you to supercharge your smile, give us a call at (714) 795-3865 to schedule a smile consultation with us today!

Our Orthodontic Treatments

Our Tustin braces options allow you to customize your orthodontic experience

Metal Braces

Metal braces use a complex system of wires and metal brackets cemented to the fronts of your teeth. During each visit to our office, our orthodontists will tighten your wires to shift your teeth’s alignment into shape. To correct bite problems like overbite or underbite, elastic bands are used to connect your upper and lower braces and gradually move them into place. The entire process often takes 18 months to 3 years because it’s thorough and comprehensive with even the most severe misalignment issues.

Ceramic Braces

Ceramic, or “clear,” braces are similar to traditional braces in how they work to straighten your teeth. What’s the difference? Instead of using metal brackets, clear braces use tooth-colored or translucent ceramic brackets. This allows your treatment to be much more subtle and discreet without losing any of its effectiveness. Celebrities like Tom Cruise have been seen rocking ceramic braces on the red carpet. For patients who want to unobtrusively straighten their smile of major orthodontic issues, ceramic braces may be the right choice for you.

Invisalign

Invisalign is the totally invisible option, without a bracket or wire in sight. Invisalign uses a series of clear aligners, which you will switch every 2 weeks, to gently push your teeth into shape. Invisalign tackles the same issues as braces (though not quite to the same severity), and it does it much faster. Clear aligner treatments often last only 12 to 18 months. More minor alignment problems only need 6! And the best part is that aligner trays are completely removable, removing any food restrictions and special dental hygiene instructions.

Palatal Expanders

For some children, there isn’t enough space in their mouth to fit all of their incoming adult teeth. To make more room, an orthodontist can widen their mouth using a palatal expander. During this treatment, a metal appliance is affixed to the upper teeth, spanning the entire roof of their mouth. A key is then used to extend the device, allowing us to gradually expand their mouth’s width.

Teeth Retainers

A quick look at what your post-braces or Invisalign treatment will be like

Once you've finished straightening your teeth with traditional braces or with Invisalign, your Gold Coast Dental orthodontist will have you wear a retainer to hold your teeth in place. There are three main types of teeth retainers, but which is best for you and your needs. Hawley Retainer: The most common retainer is a Hawley retainer. This type is made from acrylic and metal wires, and uses a dental impression to mold itself to the shape of your mouth. You can have your retainer's acrylic base customized by color and design to make you better enjoy your final orthodontic treatment. Hawley's are removable, and after the first few

months to a year, you can begin wearing your retainer only at night. Clear Retainer: Clear retainers are similar to Invisalign trays in that they are made of transparent plastic molded to the exact shape of your smile. They are sleek and subtle where Hawley retainers are not, but they're not quite as durable. Luckily, we can conveniently make multiple copies if you ever lose or break yours. Fixed Retainer: A fixed retainer is a rarer type of retainer, bonded to the inner surface of the teeth using dental cement. This type of retainer is permanent, ensuring your teeth never slip out of alignment. Because of their greater commitment, fixed retainers are not the most popular option.

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The Best Braces In The Business

You're in good hands with our Tustin orthodontics team

We have it all at Gold Coast Dental Tustin. From braces and Invisalign to expanders and retainers, we have a full arsenal of teeth straightening devices ready to give your smile the lift it needs. Our superior team of highly-trained dental professionals is happy to assist you, whatever your orthodontic needs. If you need teeth straightening, there's no reason to wait! Give us a call at (714) 795-3865, and we can get you going on your smile transformation right away!

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What type of braces work the fastest?

Both ceramic and metal bracket braces tend to take 18 months to 3 years to finish, but Invisalign treatment takes only 12 to 18 months on average. Some patients only need 6 months with Invisalign. However, patients with only one or two teeth they want to work on, dental veneers can fix your crookedness in just 2 visits to our office.
What age is best for braces?

Dental braces work best for children and teens ages 8 to 14. At this time, their adult teeth are or have already come in, and their jaw is still developing. This allows their mouth to be much more malleable for our orthodontic needs. However, it's never too late to get braces or Invisalign treatment. Adults can still see a huge improvement to their smiles, even when they miss the "optimal" window for orthodontics.
What happens if you don't wear Invisalign for a whole 24 hours?

Unlike bracket braces, Invisalign trays don't need to be worn every moment of the day to be fully effective. In fact, they should be removed when eating or cleaning your teeth to ensure you don't damage them. Clear aligners only need to be worn for 22 hours each day. If you don't make the full amount or if you forget to wear your trays for a few days, you don't have to worry about your treatment failing. At most, your treatment timeline will only be pushed back a few weeks since you may need to go back a tray or two in the series if your current one no longer fits.
How many stages of braces are there?

For adult patients, there is only one stage of orthodontic braces treatment. However, for some children, they may have two stages or "phases" of braces if early treatment is needed. Phase 1 begins before a child has all of their permanent teeth come in to handle preliminary structural corrections that are best performed at an early age. This phase usually happens between ages 7 to 10, and it typically involves using teeth braces, an expander, or another form of fixed or removable dental appliance. Phase 2 treatment starts when most or all of a child's adult teeth have emerged. At this point, we will make sure your teeth are in their proper places, rather than making sure your mouth has enough room for your permanent teeth to come in.
Can I drink coffee with ceramic braces?

Coffee, as well as dark teas and red wine, is a huge stain-maker. If you have clear braces, your brackets won't stain, but the elastics holding your dental wire in place will, ruining your hidden braces look.
What is the purpose of a retainer?

A teeth retainer holds your smile's position after you've finished your orthodontic treatment, ensuring that you don't lose any of your hard work and progress. Just as your teeth were able to be moved with braces, they can move back on their own if left to their own devices. Retainers are meant to be worn 24/7 for a few months to a year. At this point, you can cut back to only wearing them at night.