Truth About Clear Aligners

Clear Aligners are a gaining market share for treating treating crooked teeth and malocclusion. If you are considering orthodontic treatment you may have heard advertisements from brands like Invisalign, clearcorrect and direct to consumer aligner companies like Smile Direct Club. These companies are targeting the consumer and attempting to capture your business and attention.

These company’s advertise themselves as esthetic alternatives to the current gold standard of treatment. These companies also often advertise an average treatment times such as 12 weeks or treatment completion in 5 or 6 months. A word of caution that should be expressed to the consumer as there is some fine print. Orthodontic Treatment can end on any given date, 12 weeks, 5 months, 6 months into the future, just because treatment ends does not mean that treatment goals have been met or that best outcomes have been achieved. Teeth move at a biological pace with limiting factors. Advertising gimmicks can not change physiological responses.

Braces lead to beautiful results in the most time efficient manner when treated by an orthodontist. If you don’t want braces then going wireless can give you an excellent outcome if treatment planned and monitored by an Orthodontist.

Aligner companies fabricate clear aligner trays. They print trays using 3D technologies. These companies can be compared to the pharmaceutical industry in that the correct script is needed for an excellent outcome as well as proper monitoring by an orthodontist to periodically adjust the script and trays. Without direct supervision a patient may experience undesirable outcomes which are not only unaesthetic but also lead to gum recessions, TMJ, TMD, Malocclusion, Open Bites, Crossbites and tooth loss. The old adage of Buyer Beware rings true with regards to clear aligners like Invisalign. Go to a doctor you trust, verify it’s an orthodontist. Do this and you will be able to rest easy that your smile is in the care of an expert. With an orthodontist as your doctor you can choose the appliance that best suits your lifestyle.

Dr Susan Podray is an orthodontic specialist providing premiere orthodontic care in north Georgia, Flowery Branch and Buford. Visit us in our Braselton office for a free Smile consultation.