Crooked Teeth?
Having crooked teeth can be pretty tough, it can hurt your confidence and make you self conscious of your mouth. A recent study found that Americans rate people with straight smiles more positively on a number of measures. We find them more attractive, more successful, more enjoyable, and healthier. We are more likely to date them, to remember them, and even to trust them. This fixation with straight smiles can leave many people wanting to make a change. Unfortunately, getting perfectly straight teeth can sometimes be financially challenging for some. As a result, ‘lower cost’ mail order teeth aligners have become a popular trend recently. You have likely seen them advertised on social media channels, or through direct marketing approaches. These ads can make having a straight smile seem even more important and make you even more interested in obtaining one. But is the promise of a smaller price tag worth the risk?
What Are Mail Order Teeth Aligners Anyways?
Mail-order teeth alignment companies have been popping up in recent years, offering people a way to straighten their teeth without costly and inconvenient visits to an orthodontist. A patient simply goes to a local centre, or uses an at home kit, to make an impression of their teeth. If they’re deemed a good candidate, clear alignment trays are created and mailed to them. Wearing these trays at home for a certain amount of times produces a straight smile at half the cost of traditional treatments.
That is what these companies claim. This sounds like an amazing program, and you’re probably wondering why it isn’t recommended by orthodontists. Here are a few reasons.
Patients are not directly assessed by a licensed orthodontist in Regina
If you’ve ever had braces, or known someone with them, you’ll know that straightening your teeth is much more complicated than simply wearing a tray mould. Standard treatment with braces requires frequent dental clinic visits because it is medically necessary, not because the orthodontist is trying to inconvenience you. When moving teeth, an orthodontist wants to routinely monitor the progress to make sure things are happening safely, and correctly.
Additionally, orthodontia is about more than just fixing crooked teeth. When they assess you initially, they look at other aspects of your oral health and get a robust picture of your needs. The mail order kits just make an impression of your teeth to design a tray aligner. While that mold is supposedly reviewed by dental professionals, you are never assessed by one directly.
Untailored Treatment
Your treatment plan is never adjusted, which is another downfall of not seeing an actual orthodontist. Traditional braces at a dental clinic in Regina are tightened, replaced, or otherwise modified when needed. The mail order trays stay the same during the course of your treatment and may not reflect the steps your teeth actually need to go through. It is up to the patient to know if things are going wrong; for example, if your teeth start moving in unanticipated directions, trays are slightly misaligned, etc.
Limited Treatment Options
These mail order companies claim to have your impression reviewed by a dentist before your treatment is designed. This dentist will make sure you are a good candidate and have only minor tooth alignment issues. Patients with more complicated issues, such as implants, may be turned down. But it may be that you are approved for treatment despite having other, more subtle, contradictions such as gum disease. The mail order company would never be able to assess that and may end up giving you problematic treatment.