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The smile we all strive for is one filled with pearly white and straight teeth. To achieve the end goal, smile experts will decide on which teeth straightening tactic is the most beneficial (clear aligners or metal braces). Haute Beauty sat down with some of our experts to discuss the teeth straightening options that are both effective and trending. Here's what they had to say:
Dr. Brittany Dickinson | Smile | Chicago
Clear Aligners have been trending for years now! Most recently a few companies were promoting DIY aligners, but there were several issues with those, so luckily our patients aren’t interested in that anymore. What they’ve recently been asking is “How can I finish up my Invisalign as quickly as possible?” And the amazing treatment I offer them is Propel! Propel jump-starts your teeth movement so that you can change your trays every 4 days instead of every two weeks. This cuts the entire time you’re wearing trays to less than half. Your teeth are straight in no time at all!
For more information, visit Dr. Dickinson's website, Instagram, or Facebook!
Dr. Michelle Luis | Smile | North Miami
Fortunately, the days of embarrassing headgear attached to the “metal mouth” brackets on your teeth are a thing of the past. Most teeth can be straightened with clear trays that look similar to whitening trays, but the material used is more durable. Tooth-colored composite (the same material used for your teeth colored fillings when you have a cavity treated) “buttons” are placed on your teeth to act as brackets. Digital or physical impressions are photos of your teeth that are needed. Then your Dentist or Orthodontist will treatment plan the clear trays that will shift your teeth. This treatment planning, as well as the accurate diagnostics (the impressions, scans, X-rays, and photos), are the critical parts to straightening teeth accurately and safely. The aligners are taken home and changed every 7, 10, or 14 days. Your Dentist or Orthodontist will check your progress, and give you more trays along your straightening process. Certain teeth still need the “traditional” metal braces, and your provider will determine when this is appropriate.
There are now many at-home clear aligner companies that have built their business model around the patient doing their own diagnostics, using remote Dentists or Orthodontists to the treatment plan your case, and never having the patient physically see a Doctor. Taking accurate diagnostics, treatment planning, and patient compliance are the three things that allow clear aligners to act as a substitute to traditional metal braces. If any one of these key three things is not done accurately, then the outcome of your treatment can not only not be achieved, but you can cause irreversible damage to your mouth. Although fixing misaligned teeth, or large gaps is what most patients seek out clear aligner treatment for.
The accurate way that your teeth come together, otherwise known as your bite (or occlusion in the dental world), is the most important part of the aligning process. A misaligned bite can cause loss of tooth structure, loss of bone, gum rescission, neck pain, jaw pain, and headaches. This advancement of clear aligners has allowed a more comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing option for teeth movement. However, Dr. Luis reiterated that you are taking a risk with choosing these online teeth straightening companies for discounted rates because you may end up spending more money, in the long run, trying to repair the damage.
For more information, visit Dr. Michelle Luis's website, Instagram, or Facebook!
Dr. Mimi Yeung | Smile | New York
Straightening your teeth can be achieved with conventional braces or clear aligners. Both have their pros and cons. Braces are the conventional method of moving teeth into the desired positions. It's efficient and has less cost for the dentist. However effective conventional braces are, the process of daily oral hygiene, the comfort of your lip and tongue, and aesthetics is challenged.
I find that the Invisalign product along with the supervision of a well-trained dentist in Invisalign will give you the best results. There are many products out in the market that show great results and a beautiful smile with a do-it-yourself product. It is possible to achieve a good result if the user is lucky enough to require very minor corrections and is very diligent with following the progress of each tray. In most cases, a non-professional must consider that they are not an expert and do not want to do these treatments on their own. There are many factors that can affect the outcome, potentially do more harm than good. Such an example would be active gum disease. Patients with periodontal issues must first address that before any Orthodontic work. Too often I have encountered patients with teeth movement resulting in open spaces ( causing food impaction), no contact of the back teeth (causing issues with proper chewing), or TMJ issues.
If you want to save money, it's much better to get an evaluation by a dentist first. A mild spacing or crowding case can be attempted without supervision if you so choose. Keep in mind that correcting any mishaps may result in paying much more than if you did the treatment with a dentist in the first place.
For more information, visit Dr. Yeung's website, Instagram, or Facebook!
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