How Invisible Aligners Can Help You

If you have crowded or gapped teeth, you may be a bit self-conscious about your smile. However, did you know that improperly aligned teeth can also affect your bite and wear your teeth in unnatural ways? Your alignment also affects how plaque accumulates on your teeth, which can encourage tooth decay and lead to gum disease. If you are ready to straighten your teeth, you probably have questions about each treatment. This is how invisible aligners may help you.

Aligners Versus Braces

With traditional braces, small metal brackets are attached to your teeth and a wire is strung through these brackets. Every few weeks, you need to visit your orthodontist and have the wires tightened, moving your teeth a tiny bit until they are in their optimal position. These wires and brackets can irritate your cheeks, lips and gums. You also need to care for your teeth differently than if you had no braces. For example, you can’t floss properly because the wires are in the way.

Aligners are plastic trays that are moulded to your teeth. They are transparent and less irritating than braces because they don’t add protrusions to your teeth. They shouldn’t touch or irritate your gums, lips or cheeks. In addition, they are removable. Therefore, you are able to eat and brush and floss your teeth as you would if you didn’t have them.

How They Work

You have probably seen the stories on TV about all the people getting invisible aligners, and you may be asking how invisible aligners work. Your aligners are custom made to shift your teeth into their proper positions. Each new tray moves your teeth in 0.25 to 0.3 millimetres, just a tiny amount. Then, they hold them there for a few weeks until the jawbone begins to reform in the space they were, securing your teeth into their new position. Each tray is typically worn for two weeks, and your treatment should be completed within 18 months.

Dealing With Overcrowding

If your teeth are overcrowded and have little room to shift, an orthodontist or dentist may suggest a procedure called interproximal reduction. During this minimally invasive procedure, your teeth are reshaped to create space between them. This space then allows your teeth to move more freely. The benefit of this treatment is that it prevents you from having teeth removed to provide adequate space in your jaw. After the treatment is completed, your invisible aligners can do the work of straightening your teeth and evening out their spacing.

The Aligner Process

Initially, you will complete a questionnaire or attend an initial examination by your orthodontist to determine if you are a candidate for aligners. Your tooth crowding or spacing issues and their causes are evaluated.

Mild to moderate issues can typically be treated with aligners provided their cause is not medical. For example, those with gum disease, missing teeth and a large labial frenum typically need additional treatments before they can use aligners. In addition, significantly rotated or protruding teeth may not be fixed using aligners. Those with crowns, bridges and other major dental work may not be good candidates either.

After your candidacy is determined, you will receive a group of aligners. Each tray should be worn for one to two weeks. Then, you move into the next tray. Each tray moves your teeth a little further into alignment, so it is vital that you keep wearing them throughout the treatment period. All-day aligners are worn up to 22 hours per day, while night aligners are only worn for approximately 12 hours or overnight.

When your treatment is completed, after 12 to 18 months, you should wear your final tray for several months to ensure that your jaw bone has fully regrown around your teeth and they are set in place. You can receive additional final trays from your alignment company, typically for a fee.

Parting Words

Your teeth are alive and dynamic. They tend to shift over time. However, invisible aligners are tools you can use to correct these shifts and prevent them in the future.