If some of your teeth are crowded, or placed too close together, you may wonder if clear braces can correct them. Clear braces can correct mild, or even moderately, crowded teeth. However, you must visit a dentist and allow them to examine your teeth to see if clear braces will work for you. Learn more about moderately crowded teeth and how clear braces may be able to correct them below.

Why Should You Choose Clear Braces?

When some or all of your teeth overlap, or grow very close together, they become crowded. Teeth crowding can be mild, moderate, or severe. You can generally realign, or straighten, severely crowded teeth with traditional metal or ceramic braces. However, you can correct mild or moderately crowded teeth with clear braces, also known as invisible orthodontic aligners. 

Traditional braces sit on the surfaces of your teeth. The braces use small brackets and thin wires to gradually pull or push overlapping teeth into the correct positions. Clear braces cover the entire tooth structure rather than parts of it. The coverage allows clear orthodontic aligners to correct overlapping teeth in the most efficient way possible. Patients who don't want to wait several years for their dental appliances to correct their teeth may find clear braces a better solution for them.

If you're ready to correct your overlapping teeth with clear braces, get started today. 

How Can Clear Braces Correct Crowded Teeth?

A dentist can determine whether or not your overlapping teeth qualify for invisible orthodontic braces or something else. Even if your teeth appear moderately overlapping to you, they may not look that way to a dentist. In order to determine the state of your teeth, a dentist will:

• obtain imaging pictures, or X-rays, of your teeth
• measure the spaces between your teeth
• assess the condition of your teeth 

If the spaces between your teeth are extremely small or nonexistent, a dentist may recommend you correct the overlapping with traditional braces. Your teeth may require additional time to move them properly. There may be tooth decay and other defects in your teeth as well. A provider will need to restore your teeth to a healthier state before you obtain braces for them. 

If the spaces between your teeth are mild or moderate, and your teeth are in good health, a provider will make aligners for you. For the best results, the aligners must match the natural shapes and sizes of your teeth. If the aligners are too large or misshapen, they won't cover or fit your teeth properly.

Learn how clear orthodontic braces work for you by consulting a dental provider such as Hurley Nicholas J DDS PA today.