Orthodontics – Clear Correct Aligners

What are Clear Correct Aligners?

Clear Correct aligners function exactly how they are named. They are a clear aligner system that acts as invisible braces in order to help straighten your teeth. These custom-made, removable, clear aligners are designed to gradually guide your teeth into their proper position.

What do Clear Correct Aligners treat?

Clear Correct aligners can be very beneficial in helping to give you a smile that you deserve. There are many issues that using Clear Correct aligners can help resolve, including:

• Teeth that have gaps or large spaces in between them.

• Crooked or misaligned teeth.

• Overcrowding of teeth.

• Incorrect jaw position

• Teeth that have been turned or rotated

• Overbite (the upper jaw extends too far over the lower jaw)

• Underbite (the lower jaw extends too far over the upper jaw)

How does Clear Correct work?

Here at Smile Dental, we want to give you the smile that you want and that you deserve. No matter what the dental procedure is that you are receiving, we are committed to providing meticulous care and attention to our patients. The procedure of administering Clear Correct Aligners is not a quick process. It takes time and commitment to ensure that you achieve your desired results. The process is dependent on each individual and their degree of misalignment, but it usually lasts about a year, or possibly longer, from beginning to end. Once we evaluate you, we can better determine how long you will need to wear the aligners.

Clear Correct is a series of clear, removable aligners that you will wear all the time, except when you are eating or brushing/flossing your teeth. The goal is to wear the aligners for 22-23 hours a day in order to achieve maximum effectiveness.

We begin the procedure by taking impressions and x-rays of your teeth. This is so that we can have the aligners created and customized to your specific individual needs. Once the impressions are made, they will be sent out to a lab where the manufacturer will create a computer model of your teeth based on those impressions. This will be the model that future aligners are also based on. These impressions will allow us to create a computer-generated treatment plan, as well as the projected results of each set of aligners. Once we have generated your treatment plan, you will come back to the office for your first set of aligners, and then return monthly for each new set.

The treatment process consists of four phases, requiring you to wear a new set of aligners for three weeks at a time, then one week off. Each new set will be different than the previous ones, in order to guide your teeth gradually into their correct position. During the time that you will wear the retainers, the aligners put consistent and continuous light pressure on the teeth, shifting them gradually. With each new set of aligners, the teeth will be pushed closer to their proper position, until they reach the desired results.

How to take care of your aligners

Taking proper care of your aligners is similar to taking proper care of your teeth. Just like your natural teeth, Clear Correct Aligners will collect bacteria over time, so it is extremely important that you take proper care of them. A proper daily care regiment will keep your aligners in good shape and give you a smile that you deserve. Here are some easy guidelines to help you maintain your aligners:

• Brush and floss your natural teeth before putting on your aligners. – It is important that you brush and floss your teeth before applying your aligners so that bacteria does not build up in between your natural teeth and the aligners.

• Don’t eat or drink when you are wearing the aligners. – The aligners are made from clear plastic. Eating or drinking can break down or damage the aligners over time. Eating with the aligners in your mouth can result in food accumulation and possibly cavities in your teeth.

• Always rinse the aligners when you take them off. – Rinsing off the aligners when you take them out will clean off any saliva that is stuck on them. Saliva can cause bacteria to stick to the aligners, which can eventually break them down.

• Never rinse with hot water. Always rinse with cold water. – It is important to always rinse the aligners with cold water. Hot water can alter and ruin the plastic, changing its shape, which would negatively affect the progression of your teeth straightening process.

• Use an antibacterial soap, not toothpaste, to clean the aligners. – Use a toothbrush to gently clean your aligners in order to clean off any food particles or saliva on them. It is important that you do not use toothpaste on the aligners because toothpaste can be abrasive and scratch the aligners. If the aligners get scratched, it can be very noticeable on your teeth when you are wearing them.

• Use a clear denture or aligner cleaner. – It is important that you do not use mouthwash to soak your aligners. Mouthwashes usually have a green or blue color to them, and that could cause staining on the plastic of the aligners. Instead, it is best to use denture or aligner cleaner, because they are clear substances that will not stain the plastic.

If you need Clear Correct Aligners, or would like more information regarding Clear Correct Aligners, please call our office today and we can schedule a consultation to review your options and recommend a treatment plan.