A Straight Smile: Everything You Wanted to Know About Teeth Aligners
Your smile says so much about you. Having a straight smile can increase your confidence and make you feel so much better about yourself. If you pay a visit to someone like Bridgewater family dentists they will be able to talk you through all of the options available to help align your teeth in the most efficient and painless way possible.
The suggestion will probably be to consider invisible aligners to help get your smile to where you want it to be. Here is a look at what you need to know about teeth aligners and how they can work their magic and transform the look and feel of your teeth in such a positive way.
How do they work?
The most obvious question that you will want an answer to is how do aligners work?
The basics of aligners are that it is a simple but effective medical procedure that is designed to help move your teeth over a period of time so that they become positioned in a way that is more aesthetically pleasing.
Braces have been around for a long time and they perform the task of applying constant pressure in order to move your teeth in line with the calculations made by your dentist. Aligners are the modern alternative and they offer a way to achieve the same aim without feeling so obtrusive or interventional as a traditional brace.
Calculations are made by your dentist to work out how to move your teeth the required amount so that they are more in line with each other. The aligner is then used to apply enough gentle pressure to move your teeth by about 0.2mm every two weeks. Constant adjustment and evaluation using new aligners mean that your ongoing treatment is seamless.
You will often be able to see computer projections that show your progress and give you a clear idea of what your teeth will look like when the process is finished. You will also have a good idea of how long it will take to get your perfect smile.
What’s the difference between invasive and non-invasive aligners?
If you choose to have your teeth aligned so that the changes are permanent this is referred to as invasive treatment. This involves changing your teeth in an irreversible way in a clinical setting.
You will be able to enjoy results that give your teeth perfect symmetry when you choose to align your teeth using this approach.
A non-invasive aligner is designed to help improve the appearance and alignment of your teeth using aligners that can be worn to make some temporary changes without providing a permanent solution.
Non-invasive aligners are designed to enhance the natural shape of your teeth as much as possible by embracing what you have without intervening to change their actual structure. Alternatively, an invasive approach is a way to fix your smile on a more permanent basis.
A solution as unique as you are
A key point to remember is that your treatment plan and the aligners that are made for you will be based on the unique contours of your mouth and the shape of your teeth at the start of the process.
Every treatment plan and set of aligners is as unique as you are.
What to expect from the treatment plan
Your dentist will assess the current position of your teeth and define a series of aligner stages that are designed to move your teeth to the desired position.
Digital technology makes it possible to create a digitized physical dental impression. This will become the blueprint for the work that needs to be done and it is a great way of bringing the project to life so that you can see the progress being made and what your teeth will look like at the end of the treatment.
The software used with teeth alignment allows your dentist to map out the proposed treatment plan on a tooth-by-tooth basis. You will be able to see a very realistic 3D simulation of how your aligners will be used to transform your smile.
Creating the aligners
Using the unique calculations generated by the software the next step of the process involves creating the aligners for each stage of the treatment.
Each aligner will be marginally different and straighter than the last one. Medical grade plastic is usually used to create each aligner and a 3D printer is normally involved in generating each aligner in line with the calculations made.
What to expect from your aligner
You will want to see your smile transformed in the least intrusive and most comfortable way possible. The good news is that aligners are designed to look as good as possible and work with a high degree of comfort, considering the task they are performing.
It should be remembered that aligners tend to come in three main shapes.
Straight aligner edges are usually capable of applying a greater degree of pressure and delivering more grip.
A scalloped aligner edge is cut in a way that matches up with the line where each tooth meets your gums. This often achieves a more comfortable fit and it also achieves a more invisible appearance.
The third shape option is a rounded aligner edge. This is a mix of straight and rounded so that they are able to follow your gum line. This means they feel comfortable and blend in from an aesthetic perspective, but still manage to achieve the right level of force to create the changes required.
The bottom line is that aligners enjoy an enviable reputation as being a premium teeth straightening method that is perceived to be much better than braces. Especially when you consider how comfortable they can be, relative to the task of moving your teeth that they are being asked to do.
If you want a straight smile, aligners are a great solution. Talk to your dentist about your treatment options and they will be happy to talk you through your options. If you have missing teeth though, they may recommend to check out dental implants in Concord first to get the most out of the aligners.