When you have dental misalignment, your uneven teeth could lead to serious oral health complications and be a source of embarrassment too. But we can help, and without the need for metal braces. In today’s blog, your Prairie Village, KS, dentist talks about treating misalignment with our clear and custom orthodontic aligners.
The Signs You Need Orthodontics
How do you know if you need orthodontics? Well, if you have uneven teeth, this could be an indicator. You could have minor alignment issues, such as slight crowding. You could also have more severe cases of crooked teeth or overlapping teeth. Whether you have a minor or severe case, poor alignment could increase the risk of complications like tooth decay, gum disease, and even issues like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). You could also feel confident with your appearance, which impacts your confidence levels. But our team could offer relief with custom orthodontics, clear aligners that shift your smile and stay practically invisible!
Creating Custom Aligners
To correct your smile, we will first need to gauge your alignment severity and decide if this is the best choice for you. We will conduct an examination to assess the severity of your alignment issues and if our clear orthodontics are right for you, we will take detailed digital images of your bite from multiple angles with a thin wand that contains a digital camera. The images are then combined to create a 3D impression that is way more accurate than a traditional physical impression. With this information, experts in a dental lab can then design and craft your aligners from a BPA-free plastic material. When these are ready, you can start the treatment process!
Treatment with Clear Orthodontics
When your orthodontics are ready, you will start wearing a set or about 20 to 23 hours a day on average. You can remove them before meals, or prior to brushing and flossing your teeth. You can also take them out for special events, just make sure you still wear them each day for the amount of time we recommend. After two weeks, you will start wearing the next set in the series and continue the process as your smile is gradually and gently corrected. This will continue until you see optimal results, which usually takes about a year for some, but could take as long as 18 months for others, particularly teenaged patients. But this is still less than the time that metal braces require!
If you have any questions about our clear orthodontics, then contact our team today to learn more!
Ready to Try Clear Orthodontics?
For a custom and clear way to correct uneven smiles, we can offer an alternative to metal braces. To learn more about our cosmetic alignment treatments, call Dr. Browne in Prairie Village, KS today at (913) 901-8585.