Clear Aligners: Straighter Teeth Without Traditional Braces

Crooked, crowded, or otherwise misaligned teeth can impact your confidence and increase your risk for oral health problems like tooth decay, gum disease, excessive wear and tear, and temporomandibular joint disorder. Most patients also find misaligned teeth unsightly. Clear aligners are the perfect treatment solution for patients who want a straighter, healthier, and more confident smile, but don't want to deal with the hassle and discomfort of traditional metal braces.

What Are Clear Aligners?

Clear aligners are a custom-designed treatment system that uses a set of graduated trays made of smooth, clear plastic. The trays are designed to fit snuggly over each row of a patient's teeth, applying gentle pressure that gradually shifts them into the proper alignment and positioning. Each set of trays shifts the teeth a fraction of a millimeter until the proper alignment has been achieved.

Orthodontic Issues Addressed with Clear Aligners

Clear aligner trays can address an array of orthodontic issues including:

• Crooked teeth
• Crowded teeth
• Malocclusion (abnormal bite)
  • Overbite
  • Underbite
  • Crossbite
  • Open bite
• Irregularly gapped teeth

Clear aligner trays are able to treat mild to moderate orthodontic issues adequately. More complex or severe cases may require treatment with traditional braces, lingual braces, ceramic braces, or a combination of treatment with traditional braces and aligners.

The Benefits of Clear Aligners

When compared to treatment with traditional braces, orthodontic treatment with clear aligners offers several benefits and advantages.

• Virtually Invisible - Clear aligners are virtually invisible on the teeth, allowing patients to undergo orthodontic treatment discreetly.
• Comfortable - Clear aligner trays are made of smooth plastic that doesn't rub against the soft tissues, causing sores, the way that traditional metal braces can.
• Enjoy All of Your Favorite Foods - Clear aligner trays are removed during meals, so you can continue eating and drinking your favorite foods throughout the course of treatment.
• Minimal Lifestyle Changes - It's perfectly safe to continue participating in all of your favorite activities while wearing clear aligner trays because they do not put your soft tissues at risk of injury.
• Easy Care and Maintenance - You won't need any special oral hygiene tools to maintain your oral hygiene during treatment.

The Clear Aligner Treatment Process

Consultation and Assessment

During your consultation, we'll take digital diagnostic images of your teeth and jawbones to assess your bone structure and evaluate the orthodontic issues at hand. This will help us determine whether or not clear aligners are the best treatment for you.

Digital Impressions and Treatment Plan

We then take a set of three-dimensional digital impressions using an oral scanner. We then upload this data into powerful software where your entire treatment plan and final dental alignment are designed.

Using the Treatment System

Once your clean aligner treatment system is ready, we will schedule another appointment. We will walk you through the treatment process and show you how to use the aligner trays. At this time, we can answer any questions you might have about care and maintenance in addition to the steps of treatment.

Clear aligner trays should be worn for at least 22 hours every day for optimal results, and each set will be worn for about one to two weeks. Depending on your treatment plan, we might also schedule routine checkups during the process to ensure that treatment is progressing as expected.

Smile Check-Up

Once you have completed your clear aligner treatment system, you will have a final check-up where we can make final adjustments or order another set of aligner trays to perfect your smile's alignment, if necessary.

Maintenance

Once treatment is finished, patients wear a retainer to prevent the teeth from shifting out of alignment.

Are Clear Aligners the Right Treatment for You?

Clear aligners are recommended for mild to moderate orthodontic issues. Since patients can remove their aligner trays, this type of orthodontic treatment is typically only recommended for patients who are at least 16 years of age or for very responsible younger children. Our dentist can talk with you about your lifestyle, treatment needs, and treatment preferences to help you determine the best course of orthodontic treatment to ensure the optimal outcome.

Are You Ready to Get Straighter Teeth and Improve Your Oral Health?

If you're tired of living with orthodontic concerns, we encourage you to consider getting a straighter smile with clear aligners. To find out if treatment with clear aligners is right for you, we welcome you to request a consultation at Serene Dentistry in Ventura.

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