Clearly a good choice! are clear aligners the right choice for you?
Clear aligners can help patients straighten their teeth invisibly.
Many adult orthodontic patients once dreamed of having a beautiful, straight smile. For one reason or another, they were never able to commit to orthodontic treatment as kids. Maybe their parents couldn’t afford braces or perhaps they did have braces as a child but didn’t wear a proper retainer. Sometimes just the thought of feeling self-conscious while enduring two years in metal brackets is too overwhelming. Regardless of the reason, adults are signing up for orthodontics like never before. Actually, over 25% of patients in orthodontic treatment are adults!
Straight, bright-white teeth are a symbol of youth and vitality. Thanks to advances in dental science and technology, many folks can now get these results in a fraction of the time compared to traditional metal braces.
There are still many cases where metal braces and a two-year treatment commitment are the best solutions, but clear aligners can help many adults have the smile of their dreams in a few simple steps. “
Clear aligners have many brand names like Invisalign or SureSmile. They are made of a clear, thermoplastic tray that patients wear for up to 22 hours a day and only removed while eating or drinking. Each brand has its pros, but they are mostly the same and really just a choice the dentist makes on which brand to use.
After an exam, x-rays, photographs, and digital scans, your dentist send this information off to a designated orthodontic lab. The lab will design your new smile and fabricate a set of trays. The trays have small “buttons” where the plastic is built up. These buttons create points of pressure on specific teeth and encourage them to shift into position. Each set of trays is worn for a couple of weeks at a time. When the teeth have moved to the point that no pressure is felt on any single tooth, the next set of trays is inserted and worn for another few weeks. This routine continues until the teeth are moved into their ideal place. Like traditional braces, a retainer is worn after your active treatment phase is over to maintain the results (and yes, that’s a retainer forever).
Clear aligners are great for adults and some mature teens but are not recommended for children because they can be easily removed and lost.
A brief consultation and exam with your dentist can help determine if clear aligners are right for you. Sometimes your dentist can even show what your smile will look like when treatment is complete even before you begin!
Whether you have always dreamed of a beautiful, straight smile or just recently given it some thought, give us a call to see if clear aligners can work for you!
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