Clear aligners have become very popular when it comes to teeth straightening. These oral appliances are clear plastic trays that are almost invisible when worn. They provide discreet teeth straightening, a huge step up from traditional metal braces which were the standard way to improve the alignment of teeth for over a century.
Clear aligners have now been around for over two decades and their capabilities have evolved over the years. These aligners can now be used to fix a wide range of dental issues like:
- Crooked teeth
- Crossbites
- Overjets
- Overbites
- Underbites
- Gaps between teeth
Clear aligners are an effective way to straighten teeth, and they work as well as traditional braces in many cases. At times, clear aligners provide faster treatment than braces thanks to the precise amount of force these plastic trays apply on teeth.
Clear aligners have a few limitations though. These devices are not effective when it comes to treating orthodontic issues caused by poor jaw positioning. Clear aligners work best on poor teeth alignment caused by the position of the patient’s teeth.
How clear aligners work
Clear aligners work using the same concept of straightening teeth with traditional metal braces. The rigid aligner trays apply a constant force on the patient’s teeth, slowly moving them to a better alignment.
Unlike traditional metal braces, which are permanently fixed in place, these aligner trays can be removed as needed. This limits how much the treatment impacts the patient’s routine since they can take them out for meals or to clean their mouth. It is another great benefit that comes with clear aligners.
Clear aligners should be worn for about 20 hours each day for the treatment to be effective. At the start of the treatment, the dentist will take digital images of the patient’s teeth and use these images to create a computer model of their teeth. This model is then used to design the aligner trays the patient will wear over the course of their treatment.
The patient wears each set of aligners for two weeks before switching to the next set of aligners in the series. Each set of aligners further down the line pushes the patient’s teeth closer to the desired alignment. The average length of treatment with clear aligners is a year. Minor issues can take as little as six months while more severe alignment issues might take up to two years.
Benefits of clear aligners for teeth straightening
The benefits of straightening teeth with clear aligners instead of using metal braces include:
- Aligners can be easily removed when needed
- Clear aligners are less likely to damage soft tissues in the mouth
- The patient gets to show off their teeth as they move towards a better alignment
- Provides a discreet way to straighten teeth
Aligners4U is a solution for patients seeking a more discrete orthodontic treatment than conventional braces, as they do not use brackets or wires. Aligners4u is a modern and near-invisible method for correcting mild to moderate orthodontic problems.
