Orthodontic Aligners
Based on the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, 3 out of 6 people are concerned by the look of their teeth, 2 out of 10 conceal their teeth in photos, only 2 out of 10 people like their smile and would not change it. Overall, 8 out of 10 people like to improve their smile and appearance of their teeth.
Coincidentally, 8 out of 10 of the population present some form of malocclusion like teeth crowding, crooked teeth, cross-bite, deep-bite, anterior open-bite, upper and lower teeth don’t mesh together properly for chewing, and temporal mandibular joint (TMJ) pain with locked jaw issues. Orthodontics is one of the treatment modalities that can help to improve the appearance and function of the teeth.
In the old days, metal braces and bands on teeth were the only choice to be used to correct the crowding. At that time, orthodontics was not popular among the adults because of many reasons. The cost of getting the treatment was expensive and the patients would have to live with “steel jaw” for a long while. It would also take a long time to place the metal brackets or bands on one by one on each tooth, then the wires and the elastic to go around the brackets. The patients would also need to endure the pain each time the orthodontist tightened the elastic on the brackets, not to mention about certain food that they could not eat and the sore that was created by the sharp wires and brackets. Patients with brackets also need to spend a lot of time trying to pick out the food trapped among the brackets and wires. Loose or lost brackets was also a common phenomenon and they needed to visit the orthodontist a lot of just to repair the loose brackets or wires. Due to the above described disadvantages and issues, traditionally orthodontic patients were usually children and adolescents only.
Since the introduction of “invisible” and removable trays like Invisalign over 28 years ago, an increasing number of adult patients consider starting orthodontic treatment has increased steadily year after year. The reasons for the acceptance of the removable tray concepts are many folds. There are no metal brackets and wires on the teeth, the trays that they wear are virtually invisible, very thin and comfortable during wearing. There is less pain than brackets. They require fewer visits and each visit is shorter. They can eat virtually anything while their teeth are getting straight and they can brush their teeth just like normal as there are no brackets and wires. Patients have more confidence and can maintain their regular lifestyle when they are wearing the aligners.
There are a few invisible aligners available, namely Invisalign, ClearCorrect, Suresmile etc. They are pretty much the same as each other in terms of materials, treatment planning, procedures and final outcomes.
There is even a do-it-yourself SmileDirectClub aligner option but there have been many reported issues with the outcomes of the treatment simply because it is all done online without the proper diagnosis, treatment planning, execution of the treatment and monitoring of the progress by a qualified dentist/orthodontist in person.
It is very important to have nice straight teeth because with misaligned teeth, one can cause excessive tooth wearing, tooth sensitivity, gums recession and indentations at the gum lines, have difficulty in brushing the teeth, food traps, periodontal disease, bone loss, chipped teeth, stain and discolouration, bad breath and TMJ syndromes.
If you feel your teeth are not straight and want to avoid the potential adverse outcomes to your teeth and health mentioned above. You can talk to your dentists about the invisible orthodontic aligners or call Dr Wong at Affinity Dental Care, we can provide you with a free consultation with how ClearCorrect can improve your appearance and achieve optimal health. Give us a call at (289)-861-5111. We all like to see our patients smile a lot with confidence.
