Dentist vs. DIY Clear Aligners – buyer beware
DIY clear aligners
In recent years we have seen a significant increase in the number of “Do It Yourself” clear aligners available. Typically these involve sending out a kit directly to you to take moulds of your own teeth. These moulds are then used to proceed with the treatment without ever meeting a Dentist.
These products are heavily marketed on social media and makes moving teeth sound simple and easy. What’s not immediately clear to someone looking at purchasing these products are the dangers of DIY clear aligners. So what are these dangers you might say?
Lack of regular check-ups to know if something is going wrong
Like all things in life, nothing is 100% guaranteed. That’s why we monitor things on an on-going basis like building inspectors that monitor the process of building a house - this applies to when we change a person’s smile. DIY clear aligner products reduces the time a qualified Dentist or Orthodontist looks at your teeth and even worse is when those checks are not done in person. This increases the risk of something going wrong and when it does it’s less likely to be picked up as soon as if you had being seeing a qualified professional regularly.
Remember, the increased risk is something you’re bearing and you’ll find that you’ve most likely signed something off in the small print that says you’ve accepted these risks even if you didn’t really understand them.
If things aren’t going to plan, or if you feel that something doesn’t feel right, you don’t have a clinic like Hogans Road Dental you can walk into to get the reassurance that you need. Your options are likely to be limited to sending an email or calling someone that you’ve never met and hoping to get a response.
Possible to do more harm that good to your smile
Some of these products advertise that they can fix your smile in a smaller amount of time that those provided by Dentists. It’s important to point out that moving teeth too quickly can cause harm that’s not immediately noticeable. It takes time to move teeth correctly and most of the time it takes longer than what’s advertised by these companies selling DIY aligners.
If teeth are moved too fast and your mouth struggles to adapt to it, you might be at high risk of having damage to your gums and bones. When teeth are moved quickly they also have a higher likelihood of relapsing i.e. moving back to it’s position before beginning the alignment treatment. It also increases the risk of being moved into the incorrect position which can wreak havoc on your bite resulting in serious long term problems e.g. teeth wearing, tension headaches etc.
Lower quality materials and processes
Being cheaper than Dentist provided options such as Invisalign, they have to cut costs somewhere to make money! They do this by using lower quality materials that make them more likely to break or flex when they shouldn’t. At the end of the day, the old mantra of ‘you get what you pay for’ is extremely relevant to the discussion of DIY aligners vs. those like Invisalign.
If I use DIY aligners and then I’m not happy with the results, what then?
This is something you’ll want to pay attention to. It’s much easier to spend money than get a refund! Even worse is that getting things fixed can cost you a lot more money that you paid for your DIY aligners - not to mention the possible trauma you’ve caused to your teeth, gums and bones.
What will Dr Pradani and Hogans Road Dental do differently with Invisalign?
Dr Pradani will check your medical history ensuring there are no conditions affecting your bone health and jaw growth that might impact on your final results from Invisalign. She’ll also discuss any underlying habits such as teeth grinding and sleep apnoea that can cause a poor bite.
She’ll perform a thorough dental exam checking your teeth, gums, jaws, face shape and growth prior to treatment and monitor this during the entire alignment process.
She’ll recommend if any dental treatment should be completed prior to starting your Invisalign treatment that will improve the final result. These are things such as fillings on decayed teeth, gum rehabilitation and removing of any oral infections.
Dr Pradani will regularly review your smile making sure the Invisalign aligners fit your teeth well and that your teeth are moving as they should. She’ll also make sure that your teeth do not become too sensitive or loose during the process. These regular reviews are important as, during the course of your treatment, there is a risk of new teeth experiencing decay or existing fillings being chipped.
At Hogans Road Dental we want to provide you with all the options to achieve the smile you desire with predictable and safe results. Align technology that founded Invisalign was formed in 1997 making it the most experienced aligner company in the world with the most innovative patents. They’ve treated over 5 million smiles worldwide and counting. These are some of the reasons we chose to be an Invisalign authorised provider for our patients in Hoppers Crossing, Werribee, Tarneit, Truganina and Wyndham Vale.