Professional Invisalign Treatment Vs Online Teeth Straightening Offers
Guidance on orthodontic care for our Wickford patients
If you are on social media, there is a good chance that you will have come across advertisements offering ‘invisible braces’ that you can buy online and use at home without visiting your dentist. For some people, this might appear a good option, especially if visiting the dentist isn’t one of your favourite things to do.
In some cases, these offers might seem to be a cheaper option too, but as is usually the case with cost cutting, this doesn’t mean that you are going to get the best, or even the right, treatment.
If you want to have a healthy smile as well as an attractive one, the best way, in our opinion, is to make sure that you consult your local dentist at Cygnet Dental who will be able to work with you from start to finish to make sure that you have the best outcome possible.
Why you should use your local dentist
Straightening teeth needs to be done carefully and usually slowly as well. Applying too much pressure to the teeth by ‘forcing’ them into position too fast through excess pressure can damage not only the teeth, but the underlying bone as well. Our Wickford dentists will make sure that your treatment is safe as well as effective and will monitor and supervise the treatment throughout its duration – this is done face-to-face rather than remotely and we feel that this is the best option for our patients.
Another important aspect of orthodontic treatment, which gives your local dentist an advantage, is that it is very important, before any teeth straightening techniques start, to ensure that your mouth is healthy. If this is not done, there is a real danger that problems like tooth decay, gum disease and even dental abscesses might be present and may cause problems during the treatment period. Indeed, these problems may become worse and not only, potentially, be painful, making the trays difficult to wear, but may also result in additional costs for treatment.
Not just teeth straightening
If you have crooked teeth, you are probably focussed on that particular ‘flaw’ in your appearance and may be likely to pay less attention to other potential issues that you might have. Your teeth are very individual and to create the best smile possible, which after all, is the reason for having your teeth straightened, it is important that having this done should be part of an overall dental treatment plan, rather than just a ‘stand alone’ treatment.
Our dentists will be able to offer advice, other than teeth straightening, to help you end up with the best smile possible. For example, your teeth might end up straight and even, but it may also be advisable to have other treatments too. Seeing your local dentist will enable you to discuss this and for us to put a treatment plan in place.
Don’t forget the gaps
If you have a gap in your teeth, even a less visible one towards the rear of your mouth, you should consider this before having your teeth straightened. If you leave this gap and go ahead with your orthodontic treatment, it is highly likely that the gap will become narrower and should you decide to have the gap filled with a dental implant later on, there may be insufficient room. This should be part of the discussion with your dentist and you may wish to consider having any tooth replacement treatment prior to having orthodontics fitted. This type of holistic assessment matters.
Invisalign
At the Cygnet Dental Practice, Invisalign is widely used for treating patients with crooked and uneven teeth. It offers an excellent and discreet way of helping you to have a fantastic looking smile, especially as part of an overall cosmetic treatment plan.
We will be able to offer you advice on how best to achieve the smile that you are looking for, and, unlike some of the online offers where many aspects are carried out virtually, we will be with you throughout the whole process. This will enable us to physically examine your teeth during the process, rather than having to upload images as is often the case for these cheaper offers. Whilst the image upload solution might be better than nothing, even the best photograph that you can take of your teeth is unlikely to pick up problems such as decay at the rear of your teeth and may result in poor oral health by the end of your treatment.
Patients should always remember that although your teeth might appear to be a solid block, they are actually quite sophisticated and are made of many parts, including nerves, which allow you to judge how hard you are biting on your food. Their health should not be taken lightly and, of course, good general care is essential. It might be tempting to try this ‘at home’ orthodontic treatment but as you can see above, there are some potential risks involved and, in our opinion, a better option is to start by discussing an overall smile improvement plan with one of our experienced local team.
If you would like to find out more about Invisalign treatment or other cosmetic or general oral care, you can arrange a consultation at the Cygnet Dental Practice by calling us on 01268 733078.