LightForce Custom Braces: Everything You Need to Know
Table of Contents
- What is LifeForce?
- The Difference
- How Does LightForce Work?
- What to Expect
- Find a Provider
Lightforce is the world’s first digital planning and 3D-printing orthodontic system for creating fully customized dental braces. It is a cutting-edge alternative to traditional braces, especially for people who want a predictable and personalized solution with fewer trips to the orthodontist’s office.
LightForce braces offer more accuracy and convenience than traditional braces because it uses computer technology to create custom braces to match the shape and size of the patient’s teeth. With digital planning, an orthodontist can more accurately predict the final tooth position at the beginning of treatment.
What is LightForce?
Lightforce is the world’s first digital planning and 3D-printing orthodontic system for creating fully customized dental braces. It is considered an excellent alternative to traditional braces, especially for people who want a predictable and personalized solution with fewer trips to the orthodontist’s office.
About the LightForce System
The LightForce system includes four main components:
Computer Aided Design (CAD): Your orthodontist will use CAD software to create a custom treatment plan based on digital scans of your mouth (teeth).
LightForce brackets: These white ceramic 3D-printed braces are available with customizable slots and bases for precise control of teeth movement.
LightTray: LightForce treatment incorporates custom-designed 3D-printed indirect bonding (IBD) trays to improve brace placement accuracy.
Bite Turbos: These are optional miniature trays for people who require bite correction. They can also help avoid undesired tooth contact during treatment. Dentists bond bite turbos to the teeth during treatment. Patients cannot remove them once in place.
What Makes LightForce Custom Braces Different
LightForce braces offer significantly more accuracy and convenience than traditional braces. This makes them a superior choice for both patients and orthodontists.
Traditional braces are prefabricated, so the recipient doesn’t usually get the best fit for their teeth. This makes it necessary to return to the orthodontist multiple times over the course of treatment.
These lengthy treatment plans eventually produce good results, but they’re time-consuming, inconvenient, and make orthodontic treatment unnecessarily stressful.
The LightForce system uses computer technology to create custom braces to match the shape and size of the patient’s teeth. With digital planning, an orthodontist can more accurately predict the final tooth position at the beginning of treatment.
This extra accuracy means that most patients that use LightForce braces don’t require multiple repositioning appointments to adjust the treatment plan and keep their results on track. This makes treatment more convenient and more likely to produce the projected results.
How Does LightForce Work?
Treatment using LightForce’s 3D-printed bracket system follows the steps outlined below.
What to Expect
Misaligned teeth (or malocclusion) are not just a cosmetic issue. Depending on the severity of the problem, they can cause eating, drinking, speech, or even breathing difficulty.
LightForce custom braces can straighten your teeth and restore these functions. Here’s how the 3D-printed bracket technology compares to other common orthodontic treatment options.
| LightForce Braces | [Clear Aligners](https://www.byte.com/) | Prefabricated Braces | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issues Treated: Malocclusion, Overjet, Underbite, Crossbite, and Crowded Teeth | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Customized Treatment | Yes | Yes | No |
| Treatment Experience | More efficient, short, and comfortable. Bite Turbos may cause some temporary difficulty with eating and speaking but shorten overall treatment time | More efficient, short, and comfortable | Lengthy process, multiple repositioning appointments, and more discomfort |
| Office Visits | Every 2 to 4 months | Every 2 to 4 months | Every 6 weeks |
| Treatment Compliance | Good since brackets are fixed | Removable, so compliance can be a challenge | Good since brackets are fixed |
| Alignment Predictability | Highly predictable teeth movement | Highly predictable teeth movement | Poor predictability |
| Cost | High-end option | Mid-range option | Cheapest option |
How to Find a Provider
LightForce braces are a specialty solution offered by select orthodontists. You can look up a provider near you on the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) website. You can also contact LightForce directly to be referred to a provider in your area.