What Is Aligner Therapy?

Aligner therapy approaches like Invisalign and ClearCorrect use clear plastic aligners to move your teeth instead of metal brackets and wires, and many dentists in Westchester County, NY offer these advanced treatments to help you achieve a straighter smile.

The basic principles of orthodontics remain the same. Under constant, gentle pressure, your body will remodel the bone around your teeth. This allows your teeth to move. The movement can be rotation, tilting, or changing the tooth’s location.

With traditional braces, you have brackets cemented to your teeth. A wire attaches to the brackets, providing the force that guides your teeth into place. Every few weeks, your dentist or orthodontist will change out the wire and make other adjustments to keep up the force on your teeth.

With aligner therapy, you have clear plastic aligners that slip over your teeth. These move your teeth a small amount, then, after a week or two, you switch to a new aligner. After you go through the entire sequence of aligners, you’ll have a straight, beautiful smile with the help of our cosmetic dentists.

What Makes Clear Aligners Better Than Braces?

You may wonder why we offer clear aligners like Invisalign and ClearCorrect, not just regular metal braces. Here are some reasons why many adult patients choose clear aligners over traditional braces.

Clear Aligners Treat Many Issues

Traditional braces may be required for complicated orthodontic care. Still, clear aligners can correct a wide range of orthodontic problems, including gaps, alignment issues, underbite, overbite, or even turned teeth.

Almost Invisible

Clear aligners are made of incredibly durable transparent plastic. They are smooth, contoured for your mouth, and completely clear. In fact, many patients report that even close friends and family members don’t realize they are getting orthodontic treatment because the retainers are so subtle. On the other hand, traditional metal braces can make you look like a teenager, which makes it harder to be taken seriously in the workplace.

Removable

Unlike metal braces, which have small brackets glued to your teeth, the clear aligners are completely removable and only need to be worn 20-22 hours a day. You get to remove them before eating, allowing you to enjoy your normal diet. Since clear aligners can be removed for big events, they won’t interfere with things like dating, public speaking, or family pictures.

No Abrasion

Most people don’t mention it, but traditional metal braces can be hard on your gums and cheeks. The sharp brackets and wires can cause painful oral lacerations or canker sores, but the clear aligners systems won’t irritate your cheeks or gums.

Better Oral Health

Because clear aligners are completely removable, they also allow people to take better care of their teeth during orthodontic care. In the morning and at night, you can completely remove your retainers to brush and floss thoroughly. You get to keep your gum tissue healthy and strong and keep your teeth white and free of cavities during orthodontic care.

Faster Treatment

Each Invisalign system is customized for the patient and based on data from millions of clear aligner treatments. This helps them work faster than traditional metal braces. Depending on the condition of your teeth, treatment time could be reduced by as much as half if you choose clear aligners over regular metal braces.

Cost-Effective

Although many people assume that ClearCorrect and Invisalign in Westchester are much more expensive than traditional braces, they are very close to the same price. Since clear aligners eliminate many of the problems people experience with traditional braces and the treatment is shorter, it is an incredibly cost-effective orthodontic solution.

The Clear Aligner Orthodontic Process

Receiving clear aligners from ClearCorrect and Invisalign is incredibly straightforward. Here is how the process works.

  • Initial Consultation – Before you are fitted for your clear aligners, it is important for your Westchester dentist to determine whether the system is right for your dental concerns. We will talk with you about your dental goals, your oral health history, and your timeline to determine if Invisalign fits your needs and budget. Good candidates for clear aligners must be motivated to wear their aligners and committed to their oral health.
  • Customized Treatment Plan – If you are a good candidate for clear aligners, our cosmetic dentist will use special tools to take very precise measurements of your teeth. We will create a 3D rendering of your teeth for the lab technicians. Using this rendering, we will work with the artificial intelligence at Invisalign or ClearCorrect to design an optimal sequence of steps to gently move your teeth into their desired positions.
  • Receiving Your Clear Aligners – You will receive your aligners within 1-2 weeks. During your initial visit, we will carefully check the aligner for fit and comfort. It will feel a little tight, and it’s possible that you might experience some discomfort when you start wearing a new aligner. This is not uncommon, but the discomfort tends to be much less than for traditional braces.
  • Tracking Your Progress – As you wear your retainers, they gently move your teeth into place. Every six to eight weeks, you will visit our office to check on your progress. If we notice problems, we might give advice on oral hygiene or aligner wear. If everything is going well, we might allow you to move through your aligners faster. However, always make sure you wear each aligner for the full length of time we recommend.
  • Maintaining Your Smile – After your Invisalign treatment is complete, you’ll wear a retainer to keep your teeth from drifting back. At first, you will wear this retainer as much as your aligners. After a while, you will switch to just wearing it at night. Eventually, you may just wear your aligners a few nights a week.

Schedule Your Consultation Today

At Advanced Dentistry of Scarsdale, our team is completely dedicated to giving you the smile of your dreams. Call us today at (914) 725-7100 to schedule your initial consultation for cosmetic dentistry in Westchester. Before you know it, you will enjoy a healthier, more beautiful smile you can be proud of.