Want a new smile, but apprehensive about having braces?? Clear aligners may be the solution you are looking for! Are they safe? Are they effective? Dr. Kuiper answers these questions and more on today's Tuesday Tooth Talk!

Invisalign and clear aligner therapy are essentially the same thing! Invisalign is the name brand and the clear aligners are more generic. We do both! What are clear aligners? Basically, instead of having metal brackets and wires across the teeth, we use individual, custom, clear, plastic trays that slowly and subtly move the teeth over time. You typically trade the trays out every 1-2 weeks until the teeth are moved into the position that has been agreed upon by both you and Dr. Kuiper. This decision is based on what will look and function the best over a long period of time. Typically, aligner therapy treatment length is between 3-6 months and it is painless! There can be some pressure as the teeth move, but there won’t be any pain. Aligner therapy will not hurt your teeth but we highly recommend that it is administered and watched over by a dental professional. The reason for this is because without it, clear aligners can move the teeth into a position where they aren’t able to be moved anymore and then a dental professional is needed to remedy the situation. This can be an issue with programs such as the Smile Direct Club or Candid or other DIY aligner therapies. If you run into a hiccup or problem along the way, nobody is there to help who knows your unique situation and can remedy the problem and you can get yourself into a lot of trouble! Clear aligners are very safe and effective when administered by a dental professional.

If you’d like to learn more about this topic, click here to visit our Invisalign page! If you have further questions or would like to schedule an appointment for clear aligners, please contact our office and we would be happy to help!

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