At Dentistry in Motion in North York, the team has been helping patients of all ages achieve straighter, healthier smiles for over 35 years. Adult orthodontics is not only possible, it’s one of the most rewarding treatments the clinic offers. Here’s what you need to know.

Why More Adults Are Choosing Orthodontics

Adult orthodontic treatment has grown significantly in popularity over the past two decades. A combination of better technology, more discreet treatment options, and a broader cultural understanding of dental health has made orthodontics a genuine consideration for patients well into their 40s, 50s, and beyond.

For some adults, orthodontics addresses something that was never treated in childhood. For others, teeth that were once straight have gradually shifted over time, a natural process that happens as we age. Regardless of how the misalignment developed, orthodontics can address it at virtually any age when the teeth and gums are healthy.

Beyond aesthetics, adult patients often come to orthodontics because of functional concerns. A misaligned bite can make chewing uncomfortable, put uneven pressure on certain teeth causing them to wear down faster, and contribute to jaw pain and tension. Correcting the alignment addresses the root cause of these problems rather than managing symptoms indefinitely.

What Orthodontics Can Treat in Adult Patients

The range of concerns that orthodontics addresses in adults is broader than most people realize. Common issues include:

Crowding. Teeth that overlap or sit too close together are harder to clean effectively. Plaque and food collect in tight spaces that brushing and flossing struggle to reach. Straightening crowded teeth meaningfully improves oral hygiene and reduces the risk of decay and gum disease over time.

Spacing and gaps. Gaps between teeth can affect both appearance and function. Orthodontics closes these spaces and distributes bite pressure more evenly across all teeth.

Overbite, underbite, and open bite. Malocclusions, or misaligned bites, are among the most clinically significant reasons adults pursue orthodontics. An overbite where the upper teeth extend too far over the lower, an underbite where the lower teeth protrude ahead of the upper, or an open bite where front teeth don’t meet, all create functional problems that worsen over time without treatment.

Relapse after previous orthodontic treatment. Many adults had braces as teenagers and didn’t wear their retainers consistently afterward. Teeth shifted back toward their original positions, and now they want to reclaim the result they once had.

Traditional Braces for Adults: Still the Gold Standard

Traditional metal braces have come a long way from what most adults remember from their teenage years. Today’s brackets are significantly smaller and the wires are thinner, giving them a far more subtle appearance than older designs. For adults with more complex alignment concerns, including significant bite issues or severe crowding, traditional braces remain the most effective and reliable orthodontic solution available.

The mechanics of braces work the same way at any age. The wire applies gentle, continuous pressure that gradually shifts teeth into their correct positions over time. Adults generally respond to this pressure well. Treatment timelines for adults are comparable to those for teens, typically ranging from 12 to 24 months depending on the complexity of the case.

At Dentistry in Motion, the orthodontic team takes the time to understand each patient’s specific goals and concerns before recommending a treatment path. That personalized approach has been central to the practice for over three decades.

Invisalign for Adults: Discreet and Flexible

For adults concerned about the appearance of metal brackets during treatment, Invisalign clear aligners offer a compelling alternative. The aligners are made from smooth, transparent plastic that fits snugly over the teeth and is virtually invisible in daily life.

This matters enormously to many adult patients. Presenting to clients, appearing on camera, attending social events, or simply going about a professional day without drawing attention to orthodontic treatment is a priority that clear aligners address directly.

Invisalign aligners are also removable. You take them out for eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing. Your diet doesn’t change and your oral hygiene routine stays intact. For adults who value flexibility and convenience in their treatment experience, this is a significant advantage over fixed appliances.

Invisalign works very well for mild to moderate alignment concerns. For more complex bite issues, traditional braces may deliver more predictable results. The team at Dentistry in Motion will assess your specific situation and give you an honest recommendation based on what will actually achieve your goals most effectively.

Does Orthodontic Treatment Take Longer for Adults?

This is one of the most common questions adult patients ask. The honest answer is that adult treatment timelines are generally similar to those for teenagers, though individual cases vary.

One difference worth understanding is that adult bone is denser and more fully developed than adolescent bone. Teeth move through a process that involves bone remodelling around the root, and this process is slightly slower in adults. For most patients, the difference is modest and doesn’t significantly extend the overall treatment timeline.

What matters most is case complexity. A mild spacing issue may resolve in under a year. A significant malocclusion requiring more movement takes longer regardless of the patient’s age. Your orthodontic team will give you a realistic timeline estimate at your consultation based on your specific case.

Maintaining Results After Orthodontics

Completing orthodontic treatment is the beginning of retention, not the end of the process. Teeth have a natural tendency to drift back toward their original positions after treatment, which is why retainers are a critical part of the long-term outcome.

At Dentistry in Motion, every orthodontic patient receives clear guidance on retention following treatment. Most adults wear retainers nightly on an ongoing basis to protect the result they worked for. This is a simple, low-effort commitment that preserves everything orthodontics achieved.

Ready to Start?

If you’ve been thinking about orthodontics but assumed it wasn’t realistic at your age, the best next step is a straightforward consultation. The team at Dentistry in Motion will assess your teeth, your bite, and your goals before making any recommendation. There’s no pressure and no commitment required at that first appointment.

Dentistry in Motion has been a trusted part of the North York community for over 35 years, located at the Lawrence Allen Centre at 700 Lawrence Ave W, Suite 206, North York, ON M6A 3A5. The clinic offers extended hours Monday through Thursday until 7pm, making it easy to fit a consultation around a busy schedule.

Call 416.785.7619 or email secure@dentistryinmotion.com to book your orthodontic consultation. A straighter smile is well within reach, whatever your age.

Veneers are thin pieces of porcelain or plastic cemented over the front of your teeth to change their color or shape. Veneers are used on teeth with uneven surfaces or that are chipped, discolored, oddly shaped, unevenly spaced, or crooked. Little or no anesthesia is needed. Veneers have a longer life expectancy and color stability than bonding and highly resist permanent staining from coffee, tea, or even cigarette smoking.

Veneers are usually made by a dental lab technician working from a model provided by your dentist. Veneers are usually irreversible because it`s necessary to remove a small amount of enamel from your teeth to accommodate the shell.

Porcelain veneers can mask undesirable defects, such as teeth stained by tetracycline, by an injury, or as a result of a root-canal procedure, and are ideal for masking discolored fillings in front teeth. Patients with gaps between their front teeth or teeth that are chipped or worn may consider porcelain veneers.

Typically, veneers entail at least three appointments: diagnosis and treatment planning, preparation, and bonding.

During the tooth preparation visit, usually lasting one to two hours, the teeth are lightly buffed to allow for the small added thickness of the veneer. Usually, about half a millimeter of the tooth is removed, which may require a local anesthetic. During the same visit, a mold is taken from the teeth and sent to the laboratory for the fabrication of the veneers.

During the final “bonding” visit, also about one or two hours, the veneers are placed on the tooth surface with water or glycerin on the teeth to check their fit and get a sense of the shade or color. While the veneers are resting on your teeth, they can be adjusted with various shades of cement to match the color of your teeth. To apply the veneer, the tooth is cleansed with specific chemicals to achieve a bond. Once a special cement is sandwiched between the veneer and tooth, a visible light beam, or laser, causes a catalyst to be released, hardening the cement.

During a two-week period of adjustment that follows, you may notice a change in the size and shape of your teeth. It is important to brush and floss daily. After one or two weeks, you`ll return for a follow-up appointment. Porcelain veneers are reasonable facsimiles of natural teeth, not perfect replacements. It`s not uncommon to see slight variations in the color of porcelain veneers upon close inspection, as this occurs even in natural teeth.

For certain patients, no preparation of the teeth may be necessary. Please see our specialties page for more information.

The darker tissue of your teeth, the dentin, can become exposed as the outer layer of enamel is worn away by the effects of aging or things like caffeine and tobacco.

Food particles are naturally attracted to a tooth’s enamel by a certain protein. Products like coffee and tea, berries and soy sauce are notorious for staining teeth. Over time, teeth actually become more absorbent and vulnerable to staining from food and other substances.

One type of stain—caused by traumatic injuries, medications and fluorosis—actually begins inside the tooth; brushing and flossing don’t help. Another type of stain—one that can be more easily attacked by brushing, flossing and rinsing—is caused by external factors such as foods.

More and more people today are choosing tooth-whitening procedures to reverse the effects of aging and abuse from food and tobacco stains.

Some commercially available “whitening toothpastes” can be somewhat effective at removing stains and making teeth a few shades brighter. However, many of these products have abrasive substances that can actually wear away your tooth’s enamel.

Whitening agents actually change the color of your teeth, but only are effective on certain types of stains. For example, bleaching agents have a difficult time removing brownish or grayish stains. These products also are not as effective on pitted or badly discolored teeth, or on restorations such as crowns, bridges, bonding and tooth-colored fillings (porcelain veneers or dental bonding may be more appropriate in this case).

Professional whitening performed by our office is considered to be the most effective and safest method; done properly, tooth whitening can last as long as five years. Over-the-counter whitening systems are somewhat effective as long as they are monitored and directions followed closely.

What is Invisalign®?

• Invisalign® is the invisible way to straighten your teeth without braces.
• Invisalign® uses a series of clear, removable aligners to straighten your teeth without metal wires or brackets.
• Invisalign® has been proven effective in clinical research and in orthodontic practices nationwide.

How Does Invisalign® Work?

• You wear each set of aligners for about 2 weeks, removing them only to eat, drink, brush, and floss.
• As you replace each aligner with the next in the series, your teeth will move little by little, week by week – until they have straightened to their final position.
• You’ll visit us about once every 6 weeks to ensure that your treatment is progressing as planned.
• Total treatment time averages 9 – 15 months and the average number of aligners during treatment is between 18 – 30, but both will vary from case to case.

How Are Aligners Made? You’d Be Amazed…

• The aligners are made through a combination of our expertise and 3-D computer imaging technology.

Visit the Invisalign® website

Implants are synthetic structures that are placed in the area of the tooth normally occupied by the root. Implants are anchored to the jawbone or metal framework on the bone and act as a foundation for an artificial tooth or permanent bridge. In some cases, implants can be used to attach dentures.

Not everyone is a candidate for a dental implant, however. For a successful implant to take hold, a candidate must have proper bone density and have a strong immune system. In all cases, dental implants require strict oral hygiene.

Implants are so well designed that they mimic the look and feel of natural teeth. Implants are usually made of a synthetic yet biocompatible material like metal or ceramic.

Surgery is necessary to prepare the area for an implant and place the implant in the mouth. Following the procedure, a period of time is required for the implant to take hold and for bone tissue to build up and anchor the device. In some cases, metal posts are inserted into the implant during a follow-up procedure to connect the tooth.

Because implants require surgery, patients are administered anesthesia and, if necessary, antibiotics to stave off infection following the procedure.

Like any restoration, implants require diligent oral hygiene and proper care to ensure they last a long time.

The procedure involves taking gum tissue from the palate or another donor source to cover an exposed root in order to even the gum line and reduce sensitivity.

Periodontal procedures are available to stop further dental problems and gum recession, and to improve the aesthetics of your gum line.  For example, an exposed tooth root resulting from gum recession may not be causing you pain or sensitivity, but is causing one or more of your teeth to look longer than the others. In other cases, an exposed tooth root causes severe pain because it is exposed to extremes in temperatures or different kinds of food and liquids.

Once contributing factors are controlled, a soft tissue graft procedure will repair the defect and help to prevent additional recession and bone loss.

Bridges are natural-looking dental appliances that can replace a section of missing teeth. Because they are custom-made, bridges are barely noticeable and can restore the natural contour of teeth as well as the proper bite relationship between upper and lower teeth.

Bridges are sometimes referred to as fixed partial dentures because they are semi-permanent and bonded to existing teeth or implants. There are several types of fixed dental bridges (cannot be removed), including conventional fixed bridges, cantilever bridges and resin-bonded bridges. Unlike a removable bridge, which you can take out and clean, your dentist can only remove a fixed bridge.

Porcelain, gold alloys, or combinations of materials are usually used to make bridge appliances.

Appliances called implant bridges are attached to an area below the gum tissue, or the bone.

Crowns

Crowns are synthetic caps, usually made of a material like porcelain, placed on the top of a tooth.

Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth’s function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a root canal. When decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed, crowns are often used to restore the tooth.

Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or an existing filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth needs to be restored to its natural appearance.

Procedures

A tooth must usually be reduced in size to accommodate a crown. An impression is then made from the existing tooth to create a custom-designed crown. The impression is sent to a special lab, which manufactures a custom-designed crown. In some cases, a temporary crown is applied until the permanent crown is ready. Permanent crowns are cemented in place.

Crowns are sometimes confused with veneers, but they are quite different. Veneers are typically applied only to relatively small areas.

Caring For Your Crowns

With proper care, a good quality crown could last up to eight years or longer. It is very important to floss in the area of the crown to avoid excess plaque or collection of debris around the restoration.

Certain behaviors such as jaw clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding) significantly shorten the life of a crown. Moreover, eating brittle foods, ice or hard candy can compromise the adhesion of the crown, or even damage the crown.

Another process called bonding can accomplish some of the same things, but it does not last as long. Material that looks much like the enamel on your teeth is used during a bonding procedure. The material is shaped to the tooth, and when it becomes hard it is polished.

In addition, dental contouring and reshaping can correct chipped, cracked, crooked, or even overlapping teeth. This procedure can alter the shape, length, or position of teeth.

Bonding is often performed in order to fill in gaps or change the color of your teeth. It typically only entails one office visit, and the results last for several years.

Bonding is more susceptible to staining or chipping than other forms of restoration such as veneers. When teeth are chipped or slightly decayed, bonded composite resins may be the material of choice. Bonding also is used as a tooth-colored filling for small cavities and broken or chipped surfaces.

In addition, bonding can be used to close spaces between teeth or cover the entire outside surface of a tooth to change its color and shape. Crowns, also known as caps, are used in cases where other procedures will not be effective. Crowns have the longest life expectancy of all cosmetic restorations, but are the most time consuming.

Non-bleaching products normally use abrasives or chemicals and only remove surface stains on teeth.

Bleaching products work with a chemical called peroxide and can brighten your teeth several shades.

Another process employs the use of a special gel that is placed inside a flexible device you wear around your teeth for a certain period of time. After you remove the device, you must use a second bleaching agent, followed by a special light to activate the chemical action.

Mildly stained teeth usually only require one session of bleaching.