An adult's guide to GETTING BRACES

Are you contemplating undergoing teethstraightening treatment? You’ve come to the right place. Consider this your comprehensive guide to in-office and at-home braces, including information on treatment length, pricing and more.

- DALEY QUINN

I spent most of my childhood at the dentist's offie and, thanks to my cleft palate, wore braces on and offfor about 10 years of my life. Although I've never experienced wearing braces as an adult (I finally got mine offin high school), I know that it’s a big step toward achieving a straighter smile. The problem is, most teeth-straightening options, including inoffice braces and at-home treatment plans, are extensive, expensive and might not be covered by health insurance.

As a pre-teen, when my parents and I were deciding which braces to get, orthodontic treatments with braces or clear aligners were only available at the dentist’s, designed and supervised closely by a dentist throughout the treatment.

In recent years, many direct - to - consumer aligner companies have created aligners available to consumers online without the supervision of a dentist – they're faster, cheaper and more convenient. There’s a rise in directto-consumer marketing promising a straight smile from home for less money without seeing a dentist,” says dentist Sharon Huang.

However, she isn't a big fan of athome braces without the supervision of dentists because they go through years of training to master the skills to predictably move teeth to ensure proper resulting biting force, alignment and aesthetics. Plus, she doesn’t love that patients, who have no prior dental training, are required to take moulds and photos of their own teeth (for most at-home treatment plans).