Clear Aligners Can Help Improve Your Lifestyle

June 25, 2020, Functional Aesthetic Dentistry

Not everyone is born with naturally straight teeth, and misaligned teeth can not only affect your oral health, but also lower your self-esteem and confidence. Crooked teeth can make you hesitant to flash your smile and effectively interact with others. Depending on the severity of the issue, this kind of self-consciousness can lead to isolation and depression.

For decades now, metal braces have been the go-to method for straightening teeth and have been effective at doing so. However, today there is a more sophisticated way for orthodontists to realign your teeth. Let’s welcome the benefits of clear aligners: No wires, no brackets, and they’re virtually undetectable.

Why Is Having Crooked Teeth Bad for Your Health?

Aside from the mental health issues mentioned above, having crooked teeth can cause other health problems. When teeth overlap each other, it’s harder to brush and floss them thoroughly. This can lead to more plaque buildup and tooth decay. It can also contribute to gum disease, which can cause heart problems, complications with diabetes and stroke.

In addition, a misaligned bite can cause chewing difficulties. When crooked teeth are affecting your overall health, it’s crucial that you get them straightened by an orthodontist in your area.

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What Is an Orthodontist?

An orthodontist works in a specialized area of the dental field, with their primary work being to straighten your teeth. Every orthodontist is a dentist with specialized training in orthodontics. They diagnose conditions of the teeth and jaw, including misaligned teeth, overcrowded teeth, overbites and underbites. If left untreated, these issues will worsen over time. However, with the expertise of a clear aligner dentist, problems like those above can be effectively solved.

What Are the Benefits of Orthodontic Treatments?

Orthodontist don't just straighten teeth for cosmetic reasons. Misaligned or overcrowded teeth do not only make your smile less attractive. They can also cause serious oral health problems over time. Bad bites, aka malocclusions, are one of the multiple dental issues that orthodontists treat. These include:

• Overbite – Upper jaw extends over the lower jaw
• Underbite – Lower jaw extends over upper jaw
• Upper front teeth protrusion – Either lower teeth don’t extend enough, or upper teeth extend too far
• Crossbite – Upper teeth sit inside lower teeth
• Openbite – No overlap between upper and lower front teeth
• Crowding – Teeth don’t have enough room to come in (erupt)
• Dental midline mismatch – Back teeth don’t align properlySpacing – Too much room between teeth

Crowding and spacing are the most common issues that require a visit to an orthodontist. Usually, a regular dentist will discover the issues and refer the patient for specialized care.

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What Are Clear Aligners and How Do They Work?

Metal braces use wires and brackets that pull your teeth into proper position and are a highly effective solution for misaligned teeth. However, they are extremely noticeable and bring other disadvantages. Clear aligners eliminate some of the common issues related to metal braces.

Prior to treatment with clear aligners, your orthodontist will take diagnostic records, including photos, x-rays and digital scans of your teeth. Using that information, they will integrate your diagnostic records with advanced software to design your new smile and fabricate a series of aligners.

Each aligner will be worn for at least 22 hours a day for about a week or two before you move up to the next digitally fabricated aligner. Unlike traditional braces that force movement of your teeth every time they are tightened, clear aligners gradually and gently move your teeth into position over an average of 12 months.

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Benefits of Clear Aligner Treatment

Clear aligners provide valuable benefits over metal braces. These advantages include:

• More confidence and higher self-esteem
• No diet restrictions
• Less discomfort
• Easy care
• Low maintenance
• Convinient
• Fast Results

As you can see, all these benefits are associated with reducing negative effects on your quality of life. What is especially notable about clear aligners is that they can address most orthodontic needs. Although metal braces still hold their place in orthodontic services, they are no longer the go-to treatment they used to be. That’s great news for anyone who wants to improve their lifestyle by enhancing their smile with straighter teeth.

Is it time to change your smile for the better and improve your quality of life? Functional Aesthetic Dentistry is here to help you achieve these goals. Contact Dental Hour with Dr. Suffoletta and his team today to learn more about their treatment methods and to schedule a consultation. Dr. Suffoletta will determine if clear aligners are the best treatment for your misaligned smile.

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