The Invisible Braces – Aligners!
Well, we all crave that beautiful smile like Preity Zinta’s …but not all of us are naturally endowed with it. For those that need a little help with that “curve”, there are orthodontists that work overtime to endow you with the perfect smile that will light up a thousand ships! And the best way that more and more people are having success with beautiful smiles is through clear orthodontic devices called “Aligners”. As the name suggests, they help align your teeth into the perfect position.
The earlier concept was to use braces, which are nothing but brackets connected by wires to encourage your teeth to slowly move in position and get aligned gracefully in a row, but aligners are a series of tight-fitting custom-made mouthpieces that slip over your teeth and are aesthetically very subtle when compared to braces.
There are many brands internationally that produce these aligners, Invisalign, Clear Correct, Inman Aligner, Smart Moves aligners, etc.
But these Clear (or “invisible”) aligners aren’t for everyone. Your orthodontist or dentist will help you decide what’s best for you.
What exactly are these “Aligners”?
They are just like braces but detachable and definitely more aesthetic than steel or ceramic braces. They are made from a clear plastic or acrylic material and fit tightly over the teeth and can be removed for eating, brushing, and flossing.
You’ll get a new aligner with tighter settings; every few weeks to continue moving the teeth into the desired position.
Can anyone get these invisible beauty teeth aids?
1. Age consideration – As the invisible teeth aligners are custom-built for a tight fit, they are best for adults and teens. Straightening a child’s teeth is more complicated. Young people, and their mouths, are still growing and developing; hence using aligners is recommended only for young teenagers and adults and have found to be most effective for them.
2. Minor spacing – Clear orthodontic teeth aligners are usually used for those who have very minimal spacing issues and have moderately crowded teeth structures. Those patients who might have issues with wide spacing or severe underbites, overbites, or crossbites — may need more complex treatment or traditional braces. This decision has to be made professionally by the orthodontist after a review of your teeth.
Once, these two considerations are done, you are good to go with aligners.
How long does it take to beautify your teeth using invisible Aligners?
Treatment time with invisible teeth aligners is based on how much the teeth need to be moved or rotated. The more your bite is off or the more crooked your teeth, the longer it will take. Treatment usually takes between 10 and 24 months. But if you’re an adult who had braces as a child, and your teeth shifted slightly over the years, you may need invisible teeth aligners for as little as 10 weeks and you are good to go!
Patients today have a variety of choices and decisions to make when they decide to undergo orthodontic treatment—choosing between clear aligners and traditional braces. Although clear aligners offer several benefits and are an effective alternative to bracket and wire orthodontics, especially for adults, some people still prefer the good old braces over new age clear aligners, and that too is fine!
The few benefits of Aligners over Traditional braces are:
1. Aesthetically pleasing
The main reason why adult patients decide to go in for clear aligners is that they appear invisible and are definitely prettier and more pleasing to look at than braces. This helps conceal the fact that the patient is undergoing any orthodontic treatment, which can be embarrassing for some adults.
2. Removability
Unlike traditional braces, which are fixed and screwed in place, Aligners have the added advantage of being detachable. Patients love having this ability to remove their clear aligners when they eat, brush or floss their teeth. This allows them to maintain good oral hygiene.
Health benefits
Many patients who have traditional braces find it difficult to properly take care of their teeth, because of the lengthy cleaning routines with traditional braces. Many times, patients develop calcium deposits on the front of their teeth following orthodontic treatment as they are unable to clean and brush properly. These deposits are visible when the braces are removed and require the patient either to have cosmetic work done or live with white spots on their teeth.
Poor hygiene habits with traditional braces also may result in swollen gums, gingivitis, and in a few cases stomach infection from rotting food pieces in the mouth. Clear aligners were first used only on simple orthodontic cases, such as slightly crowded teeth, but now they’re used for even the most advanced orthodontic cases as well.
Aligners are an orthodontic miracle that aligns a patient’s teeth quickly, comfortably, and accurately with minimum embarrassment and discomfort. They are indeed a great alternative to bracket and wire orthodontics and are therefore now a much more popular option for orthodontic treatments the world over. Clear Brace aligners are available in many models and brands with Invisalign being the most famous of the lot. Chose the one that mimics the natural shade of your teeth and fits you the best.
These aligners are definitely a better bet than traditional braces and look so nice that one cannot even know that the patient has put on braces, until they come up, close, and personal. Fortunately, for those having severely crooked teeth, these braces can cost an additional thousand rupees only but look much prettier while wearing. As is widely known, there are so many different brands to choose from and only your orthodontist can choose the best aligners for you. The price varies from each case to case.
Usually, the price varies depending on the number of aligners used and the brand, and the severity of the tooth alignment required. Although this may seem a bit steep given the benefit and convenience of these clear braces it is definitely a small price to pay.
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