Everybody wants a great smile, but a lot of us need help getting there. Orthodontic treatment is the permanent solution for a perfect smile where your teeth issues like crowding, spacing in teeth or misalignment of teeth can be corrected.
Traditionally these teeth irregularities have been corrected by using braces which use brackets and wires to correct teeth position. But with advancement newer techniques have come which seem to be more aesthetic and appealing.
Clear aligners, also called as invisible aligners are a removable alternative to braces designed around convenience and flexibility. These aligners can fix malaligned teeth or any other irregular bite. These aligners are made of BPA-free plastic and are customised for every patient.
How do the clear aligners work?
Aligners are basically given to the patients as a set of trays which are routinely swapped every 2-3 weeks where small incremental tooth movement can be seen after using each tray. How many trays you need depends on severity of teeth misalignment.
This is achieved by digitally capturing impression/measurement and processing information using specialized software, where all the information is updated and the milling machine automatically custom fabricates set of trays for each patient.
Comfort fit of Clear Aligners
These aligners snugly fit over the teeth without touching the gums. They are trimmed to comfortable sit on your gum line. This design makes the tray less irritating and invisible. Over a period of time they become part of your body without causing any speech defects. There are no restrictions on eating or drinking any food, as you will be removing them before every meal. Also aligners allow for easy brushing and flossing and maintaining good oral hygiene.
The first step in getting your teeth aligned is meeting an orthodontist. They will perform an oral examination, take a series of X-rays and photos and take digital impression of the oral cavity.
Then based on the X-rays and impression, a line of treatment will be decided and number of aligners and time required for the entire treatment will be decided.
Care with clear aligners
- These aligners have to be worn 22 hours a day and are taken out of mouth only for eating, drinking or brushing of teeth.
- Keep the aligners clean. When you brush make sure to clean the aligners in same way
- Keep the aligners in a box given by your orthodontist so that you won’t misplace it
For more information about clear aligners read here
What teeth issues can clear aligners fix?
Depending on the brand, clear aligners can fix these alignment issues:
Crowded teeth – i.e. overlapping of teeth
Diastema – i.e. Gap between the teeth
Overbite – i.e. upper front teeth overlap with lower front teeth
Underbite – i.e. lower front teeth overlap with upper front teeth
Proclined teeth – upper teeth placed well ahead of lower teeth
Open bite – front upper and lower teeth slant outward and do not touch when mouth is closed
Benefits of clear aligners:
- Invisible – they are virtually invisible, no one can notice that you are undergoing treatment.
- Allergic free – No chance of an allergic reaction as the material is safe and does not cause any mouth ulcer
- Comfort – Most comfortable and easily removable
- Precise planning – Final result can be visualized before the treatment through th 3D view
- No diet restrictions
- Time saving treatment
- Pain free treatment
Which is more effective?
Metal braces are the traditional method of straightening teeth and till date have found to be effective in correcting severe crowding cases.
For more information on metal braces read here
Also metal braces cost lower compared to clear aligners and since they are fixed to your teeth, there is no worry of losing or misplacing the.
On the other hand, aligners have an advantage over the metal braces, as they can be easily removed while eating or brushing
Also, the time span required to complete the treatment is much less than metal braces.
The comfort and fit of aligners is easily acceptable by the patient and there is no damage to the teeth, nor any worry about the metal brackets causing ulcers or coming out.
Don’t wait to change your smile and start feeling more confident today. If you want to improve your smile but are worried about your looks getting hampered with the use of metal braces.
Call us or Whatsapp us at +91-9141160212 to book an appointment today! or just drop into our Dental Clinic at RR Nagar in Bangalore
