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Braces and clear aligners

Braces and clear aligners both move crooked, crowded or gapped teeth into position over time — braces are fixed to the teeth and work continuously, while aligners are a series of removable clear trays you change every week or two.

The essentials

Does it hurt?
Fitting braces does not hurt, but the teeth ache for two to three days afterwards and after each tightening — a dull soreness when biting, not sharp pain. Aligners feel tight for a day each time you change tray. Soft food and a painkiller cover the first couple of days; after that most people forget they are there.
How long does it take?
Most cases run twelve to twenty-four months, and the number depends on how far the teeth have to travel. Mild crowding or a small gap can finish considerably sooner. You will be given an estimate for your own teeth at the assessment, not an average.
What does it cost?
Cost depends on the appliance — metal, ceramic or aligners — and on how long the case runs, so it is quoted after the assessment. Orthodontic treatment is normally paid in instalments across the treatment rather than upfront; ask how that is structured at the consultation.

Who this is for

  • Your teeth are crowded, overlapping or twisted
  • There are gaps you dislike, or your front teeth stick out
  • Your bite does not meet properly, or you have been told it is causing wear

Choosing between them honestly

Metal braces are the most predictable and the least expensive, and they handle the difficult cases — severe crowding, big bite corrections — that aligners cannot. The trade-off is that everyone can see them and cleaning takes more effort.

Ceramic braces are the same system in a tooth-coloured material. Much less visible, slightly more fragile, more expensive.

Clear aligners are nearly invisible and come out for meals, which is genuinely why most adults choose them. They only work if you wear them twenty-two hours a day — and that is not a slogan, it is the whole mechanism. If you know you will leave them out, braces will give you a better result.

The Dental Tree is a registered PhiAligner provider, so clear aligners are available here alongside conventional fixed braces. Which of the two suits you is decided after the bite is examined, not before — a clinic that promises aligners over the phone is selling rather than assessing.

What the first appointment settles

Straightening is not one decision, it is a plan: which teeth move, in what order, whether anything needs removing to make room, and how long it will take. That plan comes from photographs, impressions or a scan, and an X-ray.

You will also find out whether your gums are ready. Moving teeth through inflamed gums damages them, so if there is gum disease, that is treated first. It is not a delay tactic — it protects the result.

The part people skip

Teeth drift back. After any straightening, a retainer holds them where they were put, and the honest version is that retainers are close to permanent — nightly, long-term.

Every patient who has finished treatment and then watched their front teeth crowd up again stopped wearing the retainer. It is the cheapest part of the treatment and the one that protects all of it.

What happens, in order

  1. 01

    Assessment

    Photographs, an X-ray and impressions or a scan, then a plan with the timeline and cost.

  2. 02

    Fitting

    Braces are bonded on in one appointment; aligners are handed over as a set with instructions.

  3. 03

    Adjustments

    Short visits roughly every four to six weeks so the movement stays on plan.

  4. 04

    Retainers

    Once the teeth are straight, a retainer keeps them there. Worn at night, long term.

Braces & Clear Aligners — common questions

How long do braces take?
Most braces treatment takes twelve to twenty-four months, depending on how far your teeth need to move. Mild crowding or closing a single gap can be done in well under a year, while a significant bite correction sits at the longer end. You will get an estimate for your own case at the assessment appointment, once the X-ray shows what has to happen.
Do braces hurt?
Having braces fitted does not hurt, but your teeth will ache for two or three days afterwards and for a day or so after each adjustment. It is a dull soreness on biting rather than sharp pain, and soft food plus an ordinary painkiller handles it. The brackets can also rub the inside of the lip for the first week until the mouth toughens up, and wax helps with that.
How much do braces cost in Silchar?
Braces cost depends on which appliance you choose — metal is the least expensive, ceramic sits above it, and clear aligners are the most costly — and on how long your case runs. The Dental Tree quotes it after the assessment, because a mild case and a complex one are genuinely different pieces of work. Orthodontic treatment is usually paid in instalments over the treatment period rather than all at once.
Are clear aligners as good as braces?
For mild to moderate crowding and spacing, clear aligners can achieve results comparable to braces — but only if you wear them around twenty-two hours a day. Braces remain more predictable for severe crowding, large gaps and significant bite corrections, because they work continuously whether you cooperate or not. The honest recommendation depends on your case and on how realistic you are about wearing trays.
Am I too old for braces?
No — adults can be straightened at any age, because teeth move in response to gentle pressure for life, not only in childhood. What matters far more than age is gum health: teeth cannot be moved safely through inflamed gums, so any gum disease is treated before orthodontics begins. A large share of aligner patients are working adults in their thirties and forties.
Will I need teeth removed for braces?
Sometimes, and sometimes not — it depends on whether there is room in your jaw for the teeth to line up. Severe crowding occasionally needs a tooth removed to create space, while milder cases can often be handled by expansion or careful reshaping instead. Nothing is removed without the X-ray and the plan being explained to you first.
How long do I have to wear a retainer?
Indefinitely, most nights — and that is the honest answer rather than a cautious one. Teeth have a lifelong tendency to drift back towards where they started, so the retainer is what protects the result you paid for. Most people settle into wearing it overnight, which is barely noticeable once it becomes habit.
Can I eat normally with braces?
Mostly, with a few real exclusions: nothing very hard or sticky, because that is what breaks brackets and adds months to treatment. In practice that means no hard nuts or ice, no chikki or sticky sweets, and cutting apples and sugarcane rather than biting into them. Aligners avoid the problem entirely since you remove them to eat.

Other treatments

Symptoms that usually lead here

Braces & Clear Aligners across Silchar

Patients come to Ambicapatty from across Silchar. Each of these pages has the route, the drive time and the treatments most asked for from that area.

Ask about braces & clear aligners

Send a message saying what is going on and you will get a straight answer about whether braces & clear aligners is the right treatment for you — and what it would cost — before committing to anything.

The Dental Tree — House No. 2, Happy Valley Lane, Hailakandi Road, Opposite ICICI Bank, Ambicapatty, Silchar, Assam 788005

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