About Lingual Braces

With hidden lingual braces, our orthodontists can help you get the beautiful smile you want without the look of braces that you don’t. Make an appointment today at one of our locations in Milwaukee, Racine, or Brookfield, and learn why this alternative to traditional braces is so popular.

What Is It?

Lingual braces have brackets and archwires just like regular braces, but instead of being attached to the front of teeth where everyone can see them, the brackets and wires are placed behind the teeth. In this way, lingual braces offer the straightening benefits of braces, but without the aesthetic drawbacks. For those whom lingual braces are an option, we offer iBraces lingual braces.

Bride on her Wedding Day with Straight Smile Thanks to Lingual Braces - Moles & Ferri
How Does It Work?

Before a patient is fitted with lingual braces, an impression of the teeth is taken. This impression is then used to create one-of-a-kind brackets that are customized for the patient’s teeth. The brackets are then cemented into place and the archwires are inserted. Because the process for lingual braces is typically more complex than that for traditional braces, not all orthodontists offer it.

Like traditional braces, lingual braces work by slowly and persistently using pressure to move teeth into proper position. As with any orthodontic treatment, treatment times vary, but they generally last from 18-36 months.

When Dr. Moles and Dr. Ferri fit patients with lingual braces, they take care to make sure back teeth are just as properly bracketed and wired as the front teeth.

Is It Right For Me?

If you need braces but are worried about how their appearance will make you look and feel, lingual braces are likely an option for you. Like traditional braces, lingual braces are a suitable treatment option for most orthodontic problems, including gapped teeth, underbites, overbites, crowded teeth, and open bites.

If you like the hidden nature of lingual braces but would like an option that doesn’t require brackets and wires at all, Invisalign® may a better choice for you. Or, if you don’t mind the brackets but would like a faster treatment option, you may want to consider suresmile.

Can Anyone Get It?

If you need braces, lingual braces are probably a suitable option for you. Since lingual braces use brackets and archwires just like traditional braces do, they typically work for the same orthodontic issues. This includes the most common orthodontic problems that most patients have, such as overbites, underbites, crowded teeth, and gapped teeth.

How Does It Compare to Other Treatment Options?
  • Like traditional braces and suresmile, lingual braces use brackets and wires to persistently apply pressure to move teeth into place.
  • For some patients, the wires and brackets can cause discomfort, whether they’re on the outside of teeth or the inside.
  • Although lingual braces aren’t “invisible” like Invisalign®, they are partially hidden behind teeth, offering a much more aesthetically pleasing treatment option.