Teeth straightening with dental braces is the most cost effective, long term solution to improving the smile in many cases. At the Vallance Dental Centre we want you to feel great about your smile. Whether this is the shape, position or colour of your teeth. Developments in brace technology has given us the ability to straighten your teeth quicker and more painlessly than ever before.
From £60.00
Introduction to Cfast® orthodontics
Cfast stands for “Cosmetically Focused Adult Straight Teeth”.
What is Cfast?
Cfast is a simple, gentle, minimally invasive cosmetic treatment. It aims to correct alignment issues with the top and bottom front six teeth, and can level and round out the arches. Cfast provides an ideal solution for adults looking to improve the position of the teeth you see when you smile, but want to avoid lengthy treatment times.
How does Cfast work?
Cfast uses specially designed clear, fixed orthodontic brackets and tooth-coloured, white nickel-titanium wires. As the teeth move, the gumline will follow to achieve a fully aesthetic outcome. Cfast focuses purely on the front teeth, therefore it not a replacement for conventional orthodontics but since most adults are not concerned about the position of their back teeth, Cfast satisfies the needs of most adults who seek orthodontic treatment. Tooth movement with Cfast is very predictable and usually more than twice as quick as using clear aligners (such as Invisalign®).
How long does it take to straighten my teeth with Cfast?
This varies from patient to patient. It can take as little as 4 months, and treatment time should be no longer than 9 months. On average, treatment time is around 6 months.
Does Cfast hurt?
As with any orthodontic procedure there can be some discomfort for a few days after the appliance is fitted. However because the forces from the Cfast appliance are very light, after the first 7-10 days there should be little to no pain at all. At first, the brace may rub against the lips or cheeks and wax is supplied to ease any of these areas, but most patients find this isn’t a problem. During treatment you may find that the teeth become a little mobile and sensitive to pressure. This is quite normal and will fully resolve when the braces are removed.
Advantages vs disadvantages of Cfast
Advantages
Brackets are fixed, so unlike clear aligners, you can eat and drink with them in place
Quicker treatment times
Less expensive
Clear brackets and white colour of wire makes them very discreet and almost unnoticeable
More gentle pressures than traditional orthodontic methods, therefore minimal risk of side effects and discomfort
Can move teeth to a more favourable position to avoid destructive cosmetic crown or veneer work
A 3D digital image can be created to show you what kind of result you can expect after the straightening procedure
Disadvantages
More visible than clear aligners
Will not correct position of back teeth
Not suitable for more extensive, complicated movements of teeth
Can be more difficult to clean than clear aligners
Who is Cfast suitable for?
Cfast is for adults only, so 18 years and over. If your concern is crowded teeth, gaps between the teeth, or a gummy smile, Cfast may be suitable for you. Following any kind of orthodontic treatment, you will need to wear retainers to keep the teeth in their new position. With Cfast, you will be provided with both a fixed and removable retainer. Cfast is only suitable for patients who are committed to wearing retainers at night for life, as long as they don’t want their teeth to move back to their original position.
Contact us to book a consultation to discuss your individual needs in more detail.
Who is Cfast not suitable for?
Cfast only treats the “social six” – the upper and lower six front teeth you see when you smile. Therefore if you require treatment to make changes to your back teeth or the position of your bite, or for more complicated cases you will be more suited to either Invisalign® treatment or a specialist orthodontist.
The Cfast process
1. Consultation
We will discuss your concerns, and create a treatment plan together to achieve your desired outcome. You may choose to have a 3D digital image made to accurately show what the final result will look like for an additional fee.
2. Impressions and photographs
If you are suitable for Cfast, and once you’ve decided to go ahead, we will take some impressions and a set of “before” photographs. The impressions are sent to the laboratory to have your brace made, a process which usually takes 10 working days.
3. Putting on the brace
The brace is fitted and you will be given detailed instructions on how to look after the brace. This appointment takes about 30 minutes. Wax is supplied to help ease any discomfort you may experience at the beginning.
4. Review
Every 4 weeks, we will arrange to see you to review the progress you are making with the treatment. Photographs are taken to document the progress. The wire will be removed to clean the brackets for you, then it is either replaced or a new wire may be placed. If your teeth are crowded, some polishing may be required to remove a very small amount of enamel between the teeth. No more than 0.5mm of enamel is removed using abrasive strips and it is a painless process. This allows us to make more room for the teeth to move into alignment.
5. Removing the brace and polishing teeth
When you are happy with the result, we will take some impressions to make your fixed wire retainer. Once the fixed retainer has been placed, we can remove the brace and polish the front of the teeth for a smooth finish. We then take more impressions for your removable retainer.
6. Retainers
The removable retainer is fitted at this appointment. This is the main retainer and must be worn nightly. The fixed retainer is a “back-up” retainer and shouldn’t be relied on to keep the teeth in place. There is also the option of the SOLID retainer system, exclusive to Cfast. This is a premium, invisible fixed retainer complemented by a clear retainer, which is fitted in one appointment to ensure absolutely no tooth movement after braces are removed.
7. Whitening and composite bonding
After straightening the teeth, you may find that the gumline is level but the edges of the teeth are uneven. This is due to teeth wearing down over time and it is easily corrected with a technique called composite bonding. We can use white, tooth-coloured composite material to bond to the teeth allowing us to reshape and balance your smile in a safe, minimally invasive way. However, this material does not change colour with whitening gel so natural teeth need to be whitened before composite bonding if this is desired. We can discuss whitening and composite bonding at your Cfast consultation!
How much does Cfast cost?
We offer the option of spreading the cost with 0% finance over 12 months or we can create a more flexible, tailored payment plan to accommodate your needs. Please see our finance calculator below
Before and after
After
Before
cFast braces, whitening and Composite Bonding
After
Before
cFast braces and whitening
After
Before
cFast braces
Meet the Cfast Team…
Surbin Gong
What I enjoy the most about being a dentist is being able to put a smile on a patient’s face. After graduating from the University of Manchester in 2016, I began working with the Vallance Dental Centre team immediately after. it’s really rewarding to make real differences to someone’s life, whether it’s a very anxious patient who we’ve been able to provide a good experience for or a patient who we’ve helped to achieve their dream smile through cosmetic work, such as Cfast® cosmetic braces. Outside of work I enjoy keeping fit and seeing friends and family.
I feel I had the best treatment from my hygienst and the staff also who assisted the hygienst they were both so professional and friendly. The hygienst gave me the best experience I'm have had bad experience in the past but the treatment I had today was one of the best I felt in very safe hands and I was so relaxed. I would have given a 5 star rating its just that the appointment process falls short its quite difficult to get an appointment when required you do have to wait awhile for a dentist… More appointment.
This place has the friendliest staff and the best dentists you can ask for. I've had the pleasure of being Dr. Cheeseman's patient and I could not ask for a better dentist. Very kind, gives excellent explanations to your problems and is super patient. Thanks to him and his staff for all they've done. I couldn't ask for a better practice & dentist!
The receptionists are so helpful.
I have had the same Dentist (Howard Mellor) for many years and was worried when he retired but the dentist I was allocated to to was great.
I have recently had a partial denture made by the wonderful Dr Steph I cannot sing her praises enough amazing work !!!
My dentist Steph has a genuine enthusiasm in her work,explains and goes through every aspect of the work required plus all my options and her assistant Abul also can't do enough to accommodate appointments I would highly recommend the surgery after years of below par NHS care.
I had every tooth professionally cleaned individually by a dental hygienist.
The procedure last 20 minutes and the teeth are cleaned very well, with literally no pain at all during and after my treatment.
If you want to get rid of any plaque and light stains, this is the place to come be at.