Getting clear aligner trays has become a popular alternative to traditional braces. Aside from doing the same job of straightening your teeth, they attract less attention and you can remove them while eating—letting you enjoy meals without worrying about cracked brackets and loose wires.
If you’re also wondering, “Should I see an orthodontist for my clear aligners,” then you’re in luck. We at Heinrichs Orthodontics will walk you through common questions about getting aligner trays.
A Clear Alternative to Traditional Braces
Like traditional braces, clear aligners are also designed to fix alignment issues with your teeth. With clear aligner trays like Invisalign, however, you don’t have the brackets and wires that pull your teeth to the targeted position. Instead, you have a set of clear dental appliances—made from medical-grade thermoplastic—that gradually guide your teeth. As one aligner does its job, you switch to the next until you complete the treatment.
The design and structure of clear aligner trays also offer advantages. First, aligners attract less attention since they are made of a clear plastic material, instead of the wires and brackets you find from braces. Next is that aligners like Invisalign are removable. You can take them off when you eat or on special occasions. You can eat without worrying about food getting stuck in your bands or archwires.
On the other hand, these benefits warrant additional vigilance. It can be easy to miss your required wear time, which can throw off your treatment plan. At Heinrichs Orthodontics, we usually recommend at least 22 hours of wear time each day, including when you sleep.
Should I See a Dentist or an Orthodontist?
Usually, people wonder whether they should see a dentist or an orthodontist for their clear aligners. Although clear aligners are a kind of orthodontic treatment, both medical professionals are qualified to provide them. It is worth noting that there are differences between the two.
Dentists are general practitioners of oral health. As such, they can provide a wide range of services, from oral prophylaxis (cleaning), and tooth extraction, to certain orthodontic treatments. Meanwhile, orthodontists are specialized professionals trained to assess, prevent, and correct malocclusion or teeth misalignment. The latter requires additional education and training.
While dentists can offer clear aligners, you should ensure they have the right qualifications. Take Invisalign, for example, which has a list of certified providers that include Dr. Dean Heinrichs. Choosing Heinrichs Orthodontics for your aligner treatment ensures quality care from a qualified medical provider.
The Value of Receiving Professional Care
In this time and age where you can order everything online, it can be tempting to DIY your clear aligner experience. After all, why worry if you should see an orthodontist for your clear aligners if you can do things yourself? Despite the apparent savings and convenience, you can end up with a lot of inconvenience without a qualified professional looking after you.
Once you’ve decided to drop by our Saskatoon orthodontic office, the first thing our team will do is prepare you for an orthodontic evaluation, courtesy of Dr. Heinrichs. He will determine if an Invisalign treatment is for you. This considers your medical and dental history, combined with accurate X-rays and 3D scans of your mouth. This way, we address any potential problems before they can cause real trouble.
Then, Dr. Heinrichs will develop a personalized treatment plan that works for you, which isn’t readily available with DIY clear aligners. This includes a carefully crafted plan on how your teeth should get adjusted, and when you should switch between aligners.
More importantly, DIY-ing your own treatment limits your options when something goes wrong. There are instances where your teeth might respond at a different rate, which will create fitting problems with your succeeding aligners. Working with a qualified clinic, such as Heinrichs Orthodontics, connects you with a team that’s ready to make the necessary adjustments to your treatment.
Risks of DIY Aligners
Although clear aligner trays appear accessible and comfortable to wear, it’s still a very precise orthodontic treatment. As such, we strongly recommend working with an orthodontist instead of trying to do everything yourself.
Without an orthodontist for your clear aligners, you run the following risks:
- Acquiring Disease
One of the first things Dr. Heinrichs does is to assess your oral health if you have underlying issues. Aside from verifying whether an Invisalign treatment is for you, it also helps prevent problems along the way.
Opting for a DIY kit skips this part entirely and could leave your issues unattended. Worse, substandard aligners could even create an unsanitary environment that could lead to infection.
- Worsening Alignment Problems
As any orthodontist will tell you, aligner trays are tailored to your specific measurements, needs, and goals. Putting on an aligner tray that isn’t a perfect fit could do more harm than good. An incorrect attempt to realign your teeth could place excessive strain on your teeth and gums and could even affect your facial structure.
- Costlier Corrective Measures
One of the main draws of DIY aligner trays is that you save from supposedly costly appointments. However, the slightest error in your aligner trays could snowball into an orthopedic problem you can’t solve alone.
In the end, you get more trouble than it’s worth. You will have no choice but to visit an orthodontist and get a corrective treatment to reverse the ill effects of the DIY aligner kits—which could’ve been avoided by working with a qualified professional to begin with.
Achieve That Perfect Smile With Clear Aligners
We hope we’ve cleared several things up regarding clear aligners and the value of working with an orthodontist. If you still have questions regarding this treatment option, you can schedule your initial consultation with Heinrichs Orthodontics, and our team would be happy to help in any way we can. Contact us and get that perfect smile you’ve been dreaming of!
