The finishing stages of orthodontic treatment are often the most underestimated. By the time a patient’s teeth look straight, it can feel like the hard work is done – but for an experienced orthodontist, this is where the real precision begins.
What the Finishing Stages Actually Involve
The finishing stages of treatment are the period between the teeth looking broadly well-aligned and the braces actually coming off. During this phase, Dr Asif Chatoo is making a series of small but significant adjustments – fine-tuning tooth position, refining the bite, and ensuring that both the aesthetics and the function of the result are exactly right.
This isn’t purely cosmetic work. Root position, bite function, and long-term stability all depend on the finishing stages being handled carefully. A tooth that looks straight from the front may not be correctly positioned in three dimensions – and getting that right is what separates a good result from a great one.
Why Finishing Is the Most Technically Demanding Part
There’s a reason the finishing stages take time, even when treatment appears to be almost complete. The final adjustments require a level of clinical judgement that is difficult to automate or rush. Your orthodontist needs to assess the bite from multiple angles, consider how the teeth will settle once the braces are removed, and make precise adjustments that move individual teeth by fractions of a millimetre.
This is where experience matters most. An orthodontist who has treated a high volume of cases will have a well-developed eye for what good finishing looks like – and the patience to keep going until it’s right, rather than taking the braces off a little early because the result looks good enough.
The Role of SureSmile
At The London Lingual Orthodontic Clinic, the finishing stages are supported by SureSmile’s robotically bent wires. Because the wires are fabricated to a precise digital specification rather than bent by hand, the small inconsistencies that can affect the final stages of treatment are significantly reduced. In Dr Chatoo’s experience, this speeds up finishing without compromising precision – and often results in a more predictable outcome than traditional wire-bending techniques.
Finishing with Clear Aligners
The finishing stages of clear aligner treatment work differently, and it’s worth understanding how. Aligners like Invisalign move teeth in a series of planned increments, and when the final tray is reached, the result may not be exactly as planned – at which point refinements are needed. Refinements are additional sets of aligners designed to fine-tune the result, and they’re a normal and expected part of aligner treatment rather than a sign that something has gone wrong.
What varies between providers is how refinements are handled. Some include them as part of the treatment fee; others charge for them separately or limit the number available. It’s worth asking about this before you start, because the finishing stages of aligner treatment can require several rounds of refinements – and the clinician’s involvement and judgement throughout that process makes a real difference to the outcome.
A Collaborative Process
At LLOC, the finishing stages are a collaboration as much as a clinical process. Because lingual braces sit on the inside of the teeth, your teeth aren’t obscured by visible brackets or attachments throughout treatment – which means you can see your results clearly as they develop. As treatment approaches its final stages, there’s a real opportunity to discuss what you’re seeing, flag anything you’d like to refine, and work together with Dr Chatoo on the finer details.
It’s one of the things that makes lingual treatment particularly rewarding.
Find Out What’s Possible
If you’d like to find out more about how treatment is planned and delivered at LLOC, get in touch to arrange a consultation with Dr Asif Chatoo.
