My Braces, Royal Colleage of Surgeons, London (2026)

15/05/2026

Orthodontics is about more than straight teeth.

It can shape how people chew, breathe, speak, and smile. It can support oral health, confidence, and quality of life.

That is the message behind World Orthodontic Health Day 2026.

To learn more about the benefits of orthodontic treatment, please speak to your dentist or orthodontist.

27/02/2025

What is an Orthodontic Therapist?

An orthodontic therapist is a registered member of the dental team. They assist dentists/orthodontists in carrying out orthodontic treatment and provide some aspects of the treatment themselves. They can only work to the treatment prescribed from a dentist/orthodontist and within their competence (ability) and scope of practice as defined by the GDC and within the recommendations of BOS.

25/02/2025

When should my child first see an orthodontist?

Most children begin treatment around the age of 12 or 13, once all their permanent teeth have erupted. In a few instances treatment is better started early and your dentist may want to make an earlier referral. But age is not a barrier to treatment and the number of adults seeking treatment is on the increase.

To learn more about orthodontic treatment for children, visit our website https://bos.org.uk/patients/treatments/orthodontics-for-children-teens/

23/02/2025

Orthodontics is the movement of the teeth within the jaw bones to straighten them and help them to bite more evenly together. Orthodontic treatment is about making the best of your teeth; it’s about improving the harmony of your mouth and jaws.

All qualified dentists can undertake orthodontics. The General Dental Council (GDC) regulate dentists and it states that any dentist can work in any area of dentistry, as long as they feel competent (able) to do so. However, orthodontics is a very specific area of expertise and only those registered on the orthodontic specialist list with the GDC can call themselves a specialist orthodontist.

Specialist orthodontists firstly become fully qualified dentists before completing a further period of training and examinations in order to specialise in orthodontics. A specialist orthodontist will have carried out at least 3 years’ extra training after becoming a qualified dentist.

21/02/2025

Clear removable aligners are a relatively new way of correcting mild-moderate orthodontic problems following a comprehensive assessment and discussion of the all the available options.

“Invisible” removable aligners are perhaps the highest profile orthodontic appliance, with widespread advertsing in magazines and television. Whilst they have become increasingly sophisticated and refined it remains important to be clear about the circumstances in which these devices are best used and by whom. It is important to seek an opinion from an orthodontic specialist who will be able to give authoritative advice on the options. After any aligner treatment, retainers will be required to ensure the teeth maintain their corrected positions.

Aligners are thin clear flexible plastic ‘mouthguards’ which fit closely over the teeth. A series of aligners is used to move the teeth incrementally according to a treatment plan developed by the orthodontist. Aligner appliances are ideally suited to adult patients whose life-style or work commitments make it difficult for them to wear more visible conventional fixed appliances.

As with any other form of orthodontics, a proper orthodontic assessment, diagnosis and treatment plan is essential to successful aligner treatment. An accurate impression of the mouth is used to create the customised aligners. Each appliance moves the teeth a small distance towards the intended position before moving on to the next in the series until the final result is achieved. Aligners need to be worn full-time, day and night except for meal times.

19/02/2025

Functional appliances (such as the Twin Block in the photo) are a popular type of brace for reducing the projection of the front teeth in patients who are growing.

A functional appliance is a type of brace to correct a “Class II” problem; Class II problems are a group of bite problems where the top teeth bite in front of the lower teeth. Functional appliances may be either fixed or removable. Removable functional appliances are most popular in the U.K. The more common removable functional appliances are made from separate upper and lower parts, which interlock placing the lower jaw in a more advanced position. Other types of functional appliance are made from just one piece, although these may adapt slightly less well to the teeth.

Will a functional brace change the shape of the face?

Much debate and controversy has surrounded the mode of action of functional braces. It appears that functional braces primarily tip teeth, moving top teeth backwards and lower teeth forwards. Reliable research suggests that the position and length of the lower jaw is governed by our genetic make-up. Therefore, while growth of the lower jaw may be altered in the short-term by a functional brace, it appears that in the long-term no significant difference in jaw position is likely to occur. Nevertheless, by virtue of moving the teeth, changes in lip position may occur with the upper lip covering the top teeth more fully.

To learn more about functional braces, please visit our website https://bos.org.uk/functional-appliances/

17/02/2025

Do you want to learn more about retainers?

Retainers are fitted at the end of orthodontic treatment after the braces are removed. They can be either removable or fixed onto the teeth. There are different types of retainers. The choice of retainer is affected by a number of different factors and your orthodontist will explain which retainer is best for you. Sometimes you will be recommended to wear more than one type of retainer to reduce the chances of the teeth relapsing.

Vacuum-formed retainer - This is a clear retainer that is usually worn on a part-time basis. You must never eat or drink with the retainer in place. Initially it grips your teeth firmly, but most patients adapt very well to this type of retainer.

Bonded retainer - This is a fixed type of retainer. This is stuck onto the teeth – usually hidden on the inside of the teeth, so it is not visible. The advantage is that you don’t need to remember to wear this retainer (as it stuck in full-time). However, you must spend extra time cleaning around it and if it ever gets loose, you should seek advice.

Hawley retainer - This is a strong retainer, which is removable and has a plastic bit that fits either behind your lower teeth or in your palate behind the upper teeth. There is also usually a thin metal wire running across your front teeth to keep them in position. This retainer may affect your speech slightly when you first use it, but this quickly improves with time.

To learn more about retainers, speak to your dentist or orthodontist.

15/02/2025

Retainers are essential in almost all cases to help prevent the teeth moving once the braces are removed.

Almost every patient who has had orthodontic treatment needs to wear retainers. If you do not wear these retainers then your teeth will go crooked again, and the hard work in wearing the braces will be lost. You should only go ahead with orthodontic brace treatment if you are also happy to wear retainers to keep the result at the end.

There are two reasons for wearing retainers: Teeth tend to want to move back towards their original positions. This is called relapse and as we get older our teeth may start to move unpredictably, often showing some crossing over and increased in crowding.

By wearing retainers long-term we can reduce these changes in the position of the teeth. The longer you wear retainers, the longer you can keep your teeth straight.

30/01/2025

Unlike the conventional fixed braces placed on the outside surface of the teeth, lingual appliances are attached to the inside surface of the teeth which makes them invisible to the outside world. Many orthodontists offer these systems and they are capable of producing high quality results. Particular problems that maybe encountered with lingual appliances include initial difficulty in speaking, tongue soreness and problems in keeping the appliances clean.

The cost of treatment with lingual appliances can be considerably more than the other types of braces which reflects the greater laboratory fees in producing the appliance and the increased surgery time required in the adjustments.

Visit our website to learn more https://bos.org.uk/conventional/

28/01/2025

All the main orthodontic manufacturers produce their own brand of self-ligating appliances, that maybe metal or ceramic, and some may make substantive claims about their treatment benefit. Rather than using elastics to hold the orthodontic wire into position, these appliances have an integral clip mechanism that holds the wire which allows the wire to slide more freely.

There is no evidence that this mechanism produces a more superior result than a conventional fixed appliance. There is evidence that the time taken to change the wire is reduced with a self-ligating mechanism and there is less likelihood of the appliance discolouring in-between visits as no elastics are used to tie the wires.

To learn more, visit our website https://bos.org.uk/conventional/

My Braces

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