Options abound for achieving perfection for teeth

Teeth straightening is not limited to a mouthful of metal while in middle school. Teeth straightening is also available for adults who wish to perfect their smiles.

At Nasser Orthodontics in Shreveport and Bossier City, Dr. Pete Nasser and his team offer a variety of teeth straightening options for children and adults, including traditional metal braces, clear braces and clear aligners.

Traditional braces are brackets attached to the teeth. Patients can receive metal braces or clear braces made from plastic, a less noticeable option.

“This option is for a more challenging treatment. It gives more control to the orthodontist,” Nasser said, explaining that traditional braces don’t rely as much on patient compliance.

Clear aligners, like Invisalign, are also an option for adults and teens. With clear, retainer-like trays, the braces are almost unnoticeable. Nasser said clear aligners are a good option for patients with less severe straightening needs.

“The biggest factor for them is the patient compliance. They have to keep up with them,” he said, as patients have to remember to wear and care for the removable aligners.

For adults who had braces as children or teens and have since lost teeth straightness, clear aligners can be a good option to further straighten teeth, Nasser said.

“Those are our favorite kind of Invisalign patients. The bites look good, and there’s just a little bit of misalignment. That’s typically what we can use to get a nice result.”

Estimated full treatment for someone receiving braces for the first time ranges from $5,000 to $6,000. Partial treatment is more varied, as it depends on the patient and type of treatment. Nasser said partial treatment can be less than $2,000 to upward of $4,500.

Because of price variation, Nasser Orthodontics offers free consultations to better estimate specific teeth straightening costs.

Nasser said the biggest aspect of making sure a patient’s teeth stay straight is patient compliance.

“If they do everything we ask them to do, the result is usually pretty predictable,” Nasser said. Retention is critical for keeping teeth straight. Once braces are removed, a patient receives retainers to help keep the teeth straight.

“We never tell our patients to throw the retainers away. They maintain the straightening process.” Nasser and his team encourage and coach patients, working to help them receive the best results possible.

Nasser also offers teeth whitening when patients finish their braces treatment.

“We like doing it as part of the finishing process,” he said. Whitening treatments cost around $400.

Nasser Orthodontics only performs whitening if a patient’s general dentist does not offer whitening services. As a specialist, Nasser works to stick to the specialty unless the general dentist does not offer whitening or the general dentist prefers an orthodontist to perform whitening services.

There are two major types of whitening: trays and Zoom laser. Nasser Orthodontics offers the trays, which are custom-made for each patient. Nasser said the best way to maintain white teeth is by maintaining visits with a general dentist and having teeth cleaned and polished for six months. After whitening, it can be helpful to have whitening maintenance annually.

Nasser Orthodontics may consider offering the Zoom laser whitening, which entails one laser treatment followed by tray treatment, as teeth whitening becomes more popular.

Nasser said he enjoys playing a part in helping people straighten and brighten their smiles.

“It’s certainly a very rewarding profession,” he said. “People come to us with positive motivation to improve their bites and function of teeth. It’s very gratifying to improve their self-esteem. We enjoy playing a role in that.”

–Tara Bullock