When you look in the mirror, do you find yourself distracted by your crooked or misaligned teeth? Teeth that aren’t properly aligned can make you feel self-conscious. Plus, people with poorly aligned teeth are more likely to develop tooth decay, gum disease, and jaw pain.
Luckily, straightening your teeth is a whole lot easier than it used to be. These days, many dental patients are good candidates for clear aligners, an orthodontic treatment that has a lot of benefits for adults and teens alike.
Here’s a closer look at some key benefits of clear aligners.
Natural Appearance
One of the top questions people ask before getting braces is “how will they look?” If you’re a professional, you may worry how others will perceive you in the workplace when wearing braces. And teens often have concerns about reactions from peers. Terms like “brace face” are not that far removed from common vernacular, after all!
Thankfully, with clear aligners, you don’t have to worry about your appearance during treatment. The aligners themselves truly are clear. Unless someone is standing inches from your mouth and examining it very closely, they won’t be able to tell you have an orthodontic appliance in place.
Among teens, the appearance – or non-appearance – of clear aligners can ease concerns about bullying or self-consciousness. In fact, your teen’s confidence may actually grow as their teeth become straighter throughout the treatment process.
Among adult professionals, clear aligners allow you to attend conferences, meetings, and interviews without worrying that colleagues will be staring at your mouth. As your teeth become straighter, you may find that you carry yourself with even more self-assurance, which may actually open some doors and help you advance in your career.
Reduced Irritation
Braces can rub against the cheek and tongue tissue, causing abrasions and irritation. Patients sometimes notice stinging sensations when certain foods or drinks they consume find their way into these abrasions. The irritation does tend to diminish with time, once your oral tissues get used to the braces. But still, this is a hurdle you won’t have to face with clear aligners.
Clear aligners are smooth and glide easily against your cheek and gum tissue. You’re far less likely to develop abrasions from aligners than from braces. This means you can eat acidic foods, like tomato sauce, without worrying about the sting.
Able to be Removed
Another factor that really sets clear aligners apart is the fact that they can be removed from your mouth. In fact, you are supposed to remove them every day to eat and to brush your teeth! This gives you a break from wearing the aligners, and it also helps you feel more in-control. You should wear your aligners for 20+ hours a day as recommended by your orthodontist. However, it’s a relief to know that if you want or need to pop them out for any reason, you can.
Better Oral Hygiene
Since you can and should remove clear aligners before brushing your teeth, it’s possible to maintain excellent oral hygiene throughout the treatment cycle. You won’t have to brush or floss around brackets or any other devices. You can brush, floss, and use mouthwash, just like you normally would. Your dental hygienist can also continue cleaning your teeth every 6 months, as recommended, to further reduce your risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and other dental problems.
Keeping up with your oral hygiene means your teeth will stay healthier, not just now, but in years to come. It also means you’ll have fewer concerns about bad breath while wearing clear aligners. And yes, there are specialized rinses your dentist can give you to help keep your aligners clean and pristine, too.
Shorter Duration of Treatment
How long will I have to wear them? Most patients ask some version of this question soon after their dentists recommend braces or aligners. Unfortunately, there is no exact answer. How long you need to wear your aligners will depend on the nature and severity of your dental misalignment, as well as your age and whether you have any other, underlying health or dental conditions. Some patients only need to wear them for a few months, and for others, treatment takes closer to a year or 18 months.
But there is some good news: you probably won’t have to wear clear aligners for as long as you’d have to wear braces or another orthodontic device. The treatment period tends to be shorter with aligners. To make sure your teeth progress as expected, make sure you follow your dentist’s instructions. Change your aligners on-schedule, and don’t take them out any more often than is necessary.
Versatility
Clear aligners work for patients with a wide range of different dental misalignment concerns. If the gap between your front teeth is too large, clear aligners can probably fix it. If your bottom teeth overlap and are a little crooked, aligners are likely an option. They can even help fix mild cases of overbite or under-bite. Only the most severe and dramatic malocclusions cannot be addressed with clear aligners.
It’s easy to find out if you’re a candidate for clear aligners, too. A dentist or orthodontist can examine your smile, take a few scans, and often let you know on the same day whether clear aligners are an option for you. There is no long, complicated diagnostic process that requires you to visit multiple specialists or undergo rounds of testing. In some cases, clear aligners can even be used in conjunction with another orthodontic treatment to address more serious alignment concerns.
Fewer Dental Appointments
One of the hardest parts of having braces is having to repeatedly visit the orthodontist to have them tightened. If you’re a working adult, these visits can take you away from the office and make juggling your professional schedule a burden. For kids, more dental appointments mean more time away from school. And of course, parents often have to take time off from work or leave early to take their kids for these visits.
With clear aligners, you’ll need far fewer dental visits throughout the treatment process. Every couple of months, you’ll see the dentist to monitor your progress and get a new set of aligners. These visits are quick, painless, and easy to schedule. They don’t come with the discomfort patients often complain of after a brace tightening appointment, either.
When your treatment period is over and your dentist agrees your results are ideal, you simply stop wearing aligners. There’s no need to schedule a dramatic appointment to remove the devices at the end!
If you’re tired of struggling with misaligned teeth, it’s time to schedule a consultation with Orange City Modern Dentistry. We offer a full range of orthodontic treatments, and we’re able to recommend clear aligners for many of our patients. With the best technology and modern treatment options, we’re proud to make a real difference in our patients’ lives.