Most of us covet a flawless smile but need help to achieve that. More and more people realize their dream of a beautiful smile with the use of orthodontic devices called clear aligners. They are also known as invisible aligners and help rectify misaligned or crooked teeth. The clear aligners are virtually invisible and removable. It is designed for convenience and flexibility.

Clear aligners make use of brackets connected by wires to encourage the teeth to move. They consist of a series of tight-fitting customized mouthpieces that slide over the teeth.

Are Clear Aligners suitable for everyone?

The Clear Aligners are best suited for adults or teenagers as they are custom-made for a tight fit. It will be more complicated for a child’s teeth as their mouths are still growing and developing. Clear aligners are typically used for patients with mild or moderately crowded teeth or who have minor spacing problems. People who have severe crowding or spacing problems may require more complex procedures.

What is the procedure for Clear aligners?

The Clear Aligners are created to move the teeth a little at a time. As a first step, the orthodontist will examine the patient and take x-rays, photographs, and impressions of the teeth. With the help of this information, the orthodontist will come up with a treatment plan to design your smile, which involves guiding the teeth into healthy positions. The main aim of aligners is a healthy bite of the upper and lower teeth. The shifting of the teeth is a complex process and can be done only under the guidance of a qualified specialist.

The next step in the Clear Aligner process involves the fabrication of the plastic aligners using the patient’s impressions or digital scans. The aligners are plastic models of your teeth. When the aligners are worn, they start putting gentle pressure on the teeth, repositioning them in a slow process. It is generally advised that the aligners be worn 22 hours a day. Each set of aligners have to be worn for two weeks before moving on to the next set in a sequence. As an end result of the treatment, the teeth would have reached their ideal positions in the mouth. The total number of aligners will depend on the needs of individual patients. The patient will be required to wear retainers after their teeth have shifted to their new positions.

How long do the Clear Aligners take to straighten the teeth?

The treatment time for Clear Aligners depends on how much the teeth need to be moved. The duration can increase if your bite needs major corrections or the teeth are more misaligned. But in a majority of the cases, the treatment duration usually takes about 9-12 months.

Call us at Robin Lambert Mells DDS Dental or schedule an online appointment to know more about Clear Aligners.