Will a dental flipper make my teeth look straight? I’m 42 years old and don’t want a mouth full of metal. I’ve heard that it can snap over my teeth and they’ll look straight.

Andrea

Dear Andrea,

I think you may be confusing a dental flipper with the Snap-on Smile. A dental flipper, is a temporary tooth replacement. Rather than fitting over teeth, it fits in the hole to take the place of the missing tooth. Snap-on Smile is a procedure that can fit over your teeth.

You’ll need to be aware before you make a decision that it is made of acrylic. It will not look beautiful close-up. It’s best used for pictures and things like that. Because it fits over your teeth, it can also look a little bulky.

An Alternative to Braces

That doesn’t mean you are stuck with a mouth full of metal braces. Orthodontics have improved significantly. You could actually straighten your teeth without anyone even knowing. Invisalign uses clear aligners to straighten your teeth. Even at a conversational distance, no one will know that you are wearing them. They also work in a fraction of the time it takes traditional braces.

There is also a secondary benefit. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. This has the benefit of allowing you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time, giving you a mini smile makeover at a fraction of the cost. All your dentist will have to do is provide you the whitening gel. You can wear it along with your aligner at the time most convenient to you.

Many people prefer to sleep in the gel. This both keeps the gel on your teeth longer and allows it to retain its potency because we have less saliva at night.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Invisalign Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.