A Yorkshire dentist is bracing herself for an influx of patients requesting lingual braces, as celebrities like Myleene Klass and Karen Millen have spoken about their discreet orthodontic treatment – even royalty has taken advantage of this new product, apparently Kate Middleton wore them in the months preceding her wedding.
Lingual braces work in the same way as traditional metal wires and brackets, but instead of being cemented to the front of the teeth, they are fixed to the back of them, out of sight. The brackets are built to fit on each individual tooth, rather than using a generic design that would fit any teeth, which does mean they are typically more expensive than ‘train track’ braces. According to Megan Hatfield, of Wetherby Orthodontics, patients with lingual braces make up around a fifth of her workload with adults in the area.
Megan commented that people often perceive brace-wearers to be teenagers, and older patients were neglecting dental misalignments because they were worried about how it would look. She also suggested that many people were from a ‘lost generation’ that weren’t offered treatment when they were children. ‘I have treated actresses and those who are in the public eye,’ she said, ‘but most are just ordinary people who have made the decision to do something about their teeth and are willing to pay a bit more for discreet treatment.’