The actual fitting of appliances does not hurt. It can become uncomfortable during the required time it takes to fit the brace.
It is common to have slight tenderness of your teeth for 3-5 days after the initial fit of the brace and after each adjustment appointment.

That depends on the problem with some movements achieved faster than others. If there is enough space then teeth alignment occurs relatively quickly in a number of months and some patients may resort to a quick ‘fix’ to their problem or seek a more comprehensive treatment to improve further the attractiveness to the smile and the establishment of proper function. A proper treatment plan utilizing the experience of what works better and what doesn’t along with technology helps to minimize the overall treatment time.
Good patient cooperation in keeping the appointments, following instructions and maintaining the appliances intact, results in faster treatments. In actively growing patients, favorable growth can further speed up the treatment. It is expected that the vast majority of comprehensive treatments are completed within 18 months.
At your first appointment you will be informed of the likely length of the proposed treatment.

Root shortening. This a consequence of all tooth movement and the latest studies have found this to be just short of a millimeter. Some types of tooth movement are more likely to cause this. The anatomy of the roots or root canal treatment can also play a factor. Pre-existing trauma is a significant complicating factor.
In some rare instances the shortening of the roots can continue and be very serious.
Tooth decay. Maintain proper cleaning and follow a healthy diet as advised to avoid a rapid onset due to the fact that appliances whether fixed or removable aligners or else maintain foodstuff and plaque in contact with teeth. Tooth decay can manifest initially as white streaks or spots before it forms a true cavity.
The success of the treatment depends on good patient cooperation visiting regularly and following the necessary instructions given.

You will be informed of other risks that may apply to you and affect some people only.
It is important that any questions you may have are answered at the beginning before treatment starts.

Your teeth will move if you do not wear retainers. There are two processes at play. There is a tendency of the teeth to move back right after the end of the treatment, a process that usually lasts for a year after then end of the treatment and is referred to as ‘relapse’.
Think of it as a memory “spring back” of the teeth to their original position. Teeth move also as part of aging and normal growth. The tendency is that teeth become more crooked with time. Retainers, fixed or removable, or both will help you to hold that smile that you worked so hard to achieve by preventing your teeth from moving. It is expected that retainers are worn lifelong or for as many years that you want straight teeth.

Orthodontics is the branch of dentistry that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dental and facial irregularities.

An orthodontist is a specialist dentist in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of dental and facial irregularities.

All orthodontists are dentists who have completed a 3-year post-graduate school in Orthodontics after the completion of dental school. In Cyprus, in order for the orthodontists to be able to practice their specialty, they have to be accredited by the Cyprus Dental Council.

Our facial and dental characteristics are mostly inherited. Malocclusions that is basically a “bad bite” is a result of inheritance alone or usually a combination of inheritance and further acquired problems during growing.

Disturbances in this normal growing differ in the effect and magnitude of the manifested problem. Since growing never stops, but occurs faster during certain ages, these effects can appear faster in magnitude during the early years but continue to develop over time throughout our life.

There is no age limit to when to start treatment. Some problems cannot be corrected when there is no active growth and a few are best treated earlier.

Most orthodontic societies advise that an initial check-up screening appointment at 7 years of age takes place so that potential problems could be evaluated. Even if there are orthodontic problems at that age, most likely nothing will be done. During normal growth, the permanent teeth that erupt are generally larger than the space provided to accommodate them in a straight manner. Growth usually catches up and provides more space for your teeth to align on their own.

Your teeth and growth will be mostly monitored. In some cases and for specific problems only, intervention is necessary at this early stage.
Most treatments start between 10 and 13 when all the permanent teeth have erupted and there is growth that can be utilized in your favor.

It is important that before you start orthodontic treatment you have no decay and your gums are healthy. Your dentist will see to this.

Fixed or removable appliances including aligner treatment do trap foodstuff and plaque around your teeth. If this is not removed regularly, then the plaque will cause tooth decay and gum disease. For this reason you have to keep a regular check-up appointments with the dentist during your orthodontic treatment.

An orthodontic treatment can range from simple monitoring to the use of appliances that can be removable or fixed in order to apply appropriate push or pull forces on the teeth in order to straighten the teeth and align the jaws.

Tooth alignment, in general, is achieved more easily, aligning the jaws requires more effort and requires favorable growth. When Growth is not favorable or there is no apparent active growth as in adulthood, further modalities of treatment may be required such as surgery.