Clear Aligners – Invisible Braces

To be sure, straight and even teeth give your mouth a stylish and attractive look but, if you think an attractive smile can only be achieved with painful metal braces, we’ve got great news!

While kids are expected to wear braces, most adults would prefer straight teeth without a mouthful of steel wires – presenting an esthetically unpleasant picture that would fit in poorly with a social situation, a business meeting, or a romantic moment.

Advanced technology offers an exciting solution in the form of clear aligner braces.

These tooth straightening aids are made possible by the latest in precision computer manufacturing, and modern medical dental materials. They shift your teeth to their desired position while remaining mostly invisible.

Using Clear Aligner Braces

Confirming you are a candidate for invisible aligners / invisible braces begins with computer imaging of the current alignment of your teeth at your Glen Ellyn dentist. Your unique condition is assessed, and a custom treatment plan is delivered. Whether your teeth are spaced too wide, crowded together, and misaligned due to jaw changes (possibly because of a past experience wearing braces), etc. – full treatment plan will be devised, presented and explained to your complete understanding, so you may make an informed decision as to how best to proceed.

You’ll be able to view a simulation of how your teeth will look when fully straightened so you know what you can look forward to.

Rest assured, we involve you every step of the way:

• Invisible braces straightens teeth by moving them in stages, each stage shifting the teeth slightly closer to their final, straight alignment. Each stage is carefully mapped in 3D using advanced software programs, so that the position of your teeth at each stage is known precisely, and a full spatial map of them exists for medical analysis.
• A clear plastic “aligner” is made to correspond to each stage of tooth movement. These aligners are custom made for the patient, tailored to the precise measurements generated by the computer and your skilled Glen Ellyn dentist during the first phase of your smile makeover. The material used is a strong, transparent medical grade plastic, which is safe, inert, and hypoallergenic.
• The first aligner is inserted, pressing gently on the teeth to gradually move them gently closer to their final position. After about two weeks, the aligner is replaced by the next in the sequence, and so on until the teeth have been fully shifted to the desired configuration.
• Invisible braces is virtually undetectable when being worn, and thus does not interfere with your daily activities and human interactions. Nobody will know you are in the process of straightening your teeth.
• Invisible clear aligners are removable, and should be taken out when eating, plus for dental hygiene such as brushing and flossing. To be optimally effective, they should be worn at all other times. Aligners should remain in the mouth approximately 22 hours per day.
• Once treatment is complete, your teeth will be assessed by Dr. Gibbs dentist to determine if you need a positioner. If there is a risk of the teeth shifting back towards their original alignment, a positioner may be used. In some cases, a regular retainer, such as that used following a treatment with traditional metal braces, may be recommended. At other times, a clear plastic removable retainer is used, to be worn only during sleep. Your unique situation will be discussed fully with you when you visit our office for follow-up treatment.

Advantages of Clear Aligners

The clear aligners braces system has a number of advantages compared to conventional wire braces. Some of these benefits include:

• • The medical grade plastic from which they are manufactured is close to hypoallergenic (also known as biocompatible). Thus, much of the irritation caused by wire braces is eliminated.
  • This system offers minimal discomfort. While there may be a feeling of pressure for the first few days after a new aligner is inserted, this is to be expected and indicates that clear aligners are working properly. There is no pain from invisible braces, unlike the common experience with metal braces. The sensation of pressure disappears after a few days.
  • Their removable nature means you can easily maintain normal dental hygiene while wearing these oral fixtures.
  • The aligners are removed for eating and drinking, which means you can drink all your favorite beverages and eat your favorite foods with no problem. This stands in stark contrast to metal wires and brackets, which may require a restricted diet.
  • Clear aligner’s has little effect on speech, with a slight lisp for a day or so being the worst you may expect. Many patients do not even experience this.

Clear Aligner for Crowded or Crooked Teeth