While most people desire a straight, beautiful smile, few are naturally born with one. Luckily, orthodontic treatment can transform a crooked smile into one that is very straight. While many people get braces to correct alignment and bite issues as adolescents, more and more adults are opting to get braces later in life. If you're interested in orthodontic treatment to straighten your smile, you may be interested in your options. The most common types of braces used by orthodontists include:

Metal Braces

Metal braces are often called traditional braces, and they are what most people picture when they think about braces. When a person gets metal braces, metal brackets are attached to the surface of the teeth and then metal wires are threaded through the brackets. The metal wires exert pressure on the teeth, which causes the teeth to move into proper alignment. Metal braces have been popular for a long time because they are the most affordable type of braces available, and they tend to work the fastest. To learn more about these kinds of braces, take a look at a website like http://www.cresthillfamilydental.com.

Invisible Aligners

Invisible aligners are clear in color and are removable. Adults tend to love invisible aligners because when they are worn, they are not noticeable at all. Treatment using invisible aligners involves wearing different aligners for set periods of time; over the course of treatment, each aligner will push the teeth into position. While invisible aligners have a lot of advantages for adults, people with severely misaligned teeth usually are not good candidates. 

Ceremanic Braces

Ceramic braces became popular because the brackets and wires used were the same color as natural teeth, making braces much less noticeable than their metal counterparts. Some orthodontists still offer ceramic braces, and they are good for adults because they blend into the teeth and don't call attention to the fact that a person is wearing braces. However, the ceramic used for the brackets can become stained if they are not taken care of properly, and ceramic braces cost more than metal braces.

Lingual Braces

Lingual braces are very similar to metal braces, but instead of the brackets and wires being placed on the front of the teeth, they are applied to the back. This means that no one can see the braces since they are behind the teeth unless a person has their mouth open wide. Some of the downsides of lingual braces are the facts that they can be difficult to keep clean and may interfere with a person's speech during the course of treatment.