I was on the plane coming back from Melbourne with my family when my wife said that the steward had something on his teeth. When I looked I saw he was wearing an aligner or clear braces used to straighten his teeth.
Though I have known about aligner technology for many years I thought I would do a quick blog on what is currently available to straightening crooked teeth. This is not an exhaustive list but gives you a good start.
Two main ways of making teeth straight are through removable appliances or fixed appliances.
Invisible or aligner braces.
These are a series of removable , clear plastic trays that snap onto the teeth and move the teeth little by little, week by week, until they are in their final position. They are difficult to see that you are wearing them and take 8-18 months to work. They must be worn 22 hours per day and you don’t drink or eat with them.
Inman Aligner.
The Inman Aligner is a removable appliance that utilizes a lingual coil spring that puts pressure on the teeth that need repositioning and a labial bar that reverses the same pressure.
These components work together to “squeeze” teeth together by pushing and pulling them into alignment
Inman Aligner treatment typically takes 6-16 weeks. Simple cases can complete in a little over 1 month and more complex cases might take 4 months or so. At Riverside Dental as an inman aligner provider we will give you a realistic guide of what to expect once we do a full thorough examination. Normally lower front teeth move a little faster than uppers.
Fixed Braces.
Your dentist or orthodontist places small brackets on the teeth followed by a a wire and elastics to move the teeth into a more favourable and pleasing position for aesthetics and also function. The treatment time can be anywhere from 6 months to sometimes 3 years depending on the complexity of the case.
