Clear Aligners, The invisible aligners.

What To Expect From Clear Aligners Before And After Results

Everyone wants a fabulous smile with properly aligned teeth but doesn’t want to wear traditional metal braces? Traditional metal braces are painful – the metal wires and brackets can injure the gums and soft tissues of your mouth. When the orthodontist tightens the wires, it’s painful! Also, Metal braces are not attractive and old-fashioned, and for best results, they take a long time to give you a beautiful smile with straight teeth. Rather than using metal braces, including brackets and wires to straighten and correctly align teeth, Dr Amar Anupam (Hyperlink to website) recommends Clear Aligner.

Clear Aligner, also known as Invisible Braces or Invisible Aligner, is a most advanced technique in which trays, also known as clear aligner trays, are used. These trays help move the teeth slowly and continuously to the desired position. By this method in dentistry, patients can experience a beautiful smile without the embarrassment due to improper position of teeth, discomfort, and any pain caused by traditional metal braces.

Mostly Clear Aligner or Invisalign can be used to correct the improper position of teeth issues that are also corrected with metal braces. The condition of the teeth mentioned below is ideal for clear braces or aligners : Crowded teeth Crooked teeth Gapped or spaced teeth Bite problems like overbite, open bite, and crossbite.There are many points to be remembered in clear aligners before and after treatment which are discussed below-

Expectations from clear aligner before treatment

If you make up your mind to take treatment for your improperly aligned teeth and do not want to go with traditional metal braces, a clear aligner is the best choice. Before starting treatment, there are some points to be considered First, you must visit a dental clinic and take advice from an orthodontist because your doctor knows what is best for you.

After discussing with your doctor, you know your treatment plan well. Your dentist tells and shows all changes occurring on your face and the position of teeth after treatment is completed.

Then the dentist shows the clear aligner trays or kit. The dentist will demonstrate how to put the aligners in and out of the mouth. Because of their design, it may appear a little difficult initially to use clear aligner trays. Nonetheless, with time and experience of repeated wearing, teeth aligners are easy to wear and remove on a daily basis.

However, many patients complain of the soreness for a week. Though it generally wears off after using clear aligners for the first week. Some also notice that when you speak, your mouth has more saliva than normal during the first week of wearing your aligners. It could be gone in a week or two until you become used to it in your mouth.

Sometimes most patients notice a sore tongue because when any foreign body is inserted into the mouth then, the tongue keeps moving over the clear aligner (foreign body). If it occurs, try to make a conscious effort to stop this act; otherwise, it results in irritation. On the other hand, the invisible aligner may rub on soft tissues and cause irritation. If this occurs continuously, immediately call your dentist. The corner of the clear aligner can be trimmed to make it more flexible for you.

When clear aligners are delivered to the patient, your dentist will instruct you how to clean your clear aligners and your teeth. It also helps to build good oral hygiene habits, which are very helpful to making your fabulous smile. It is important to make sure you take out your clear aligners from the mouth while eating or drinking other than water.

Before inserting your clear aligners after meals or snacks, you must brush and floss your teeth properly. If not done this, some bacteria, stains, plaque, and food particles can get into clear aligners trays and then come next to your teeth and soft tissues, where they can damage your oral hygiene.

Also, clean your aligners from time to time. Talk to your dentist about keeping your aligner trays neat and clean. For final results, it’s important to wear trays for at least 18 to 22 hours daily. Traditional metal braces provide predictable results because they’re continuously bonded to teeth, but clear aligners trays are removable, making you comfortable, which is important for successful treatment.

Expectations from clear aligner after treatment

Once your treatment is finished, the process of maintaining your teeth in the correct position must begin. If you don’t follow the post-treatment steps correctly, then there is the chance that the positioned teeth might keep trying to move in their original position. Few more points to consider:

1. Incomplete remodeling of the tooth socket and retaining bone
2. Teeth begin to shift again
3. Teeth returning to their original state
4. A waste of your time and effort during treatment and money in your smile
5. After-treatment care begins with some appliance called retainers
6. With advanced technology in dentistry, the retainers are now more comfortable and convenient than in the old days.

Some important points to be remembered for taking good care of your retainers:

• While eating, always remove your retainers because sticky food makes it dirty.
• The best way to keep it clean is to remove it during eating and replace it after cleaning your mouth.
• Drinking hot beverages with the retainers causes them to melt or damage.
• Clean your retainer between taking it out and placing it back in your mouth. Once a day, it should be cleaned properly.
• Rinse your mouth with mouthwash twice a day.
• Post-treatment maintenance is just like basic oral care but with retainers. Brush and floss your teeth twice a day before and after meals.
• Visit your dentist twice a year and keep in touch with your orthodontist.

Contact your doctor immediately if your retainer is damaged or if some problem persists and doesn’t feel right so the doctor can immediately assess the issue and correct any problems in your mouth related to retainers.