Direct-to-Consumer Clear Aligners (Danger or Safe?)

It is hard to exaggerate how popular clear aligners have become over the last several years. No longer only a treatment of the wealthy, they are even offered to people in the comfort of their living room through Direct to Consumer mail order nowadays. In fact, these clear aligners advertise that you do not even need the treatment and supervisory services of a local orthodontist. In this article, we will look at the facts and figures on Invisalign and the generic clear aligner trays offered directly to the consumer through mail order as well as whether or not it helps to visit an expert.      

What Is The Appeal of Generic Direct to Consumer Clear Aligners?

Without a question, the direct-to-consumer clear teeth alignment craze has spawned any number of companies around the United States who are in the business of making do it yourself alignment a reality for many who may find themselves hard-pressed to afford regular orthodontic services and treatment. It is more than just a case of substantially lower pricing, but also a matter of supposed convenience. The companies simply ship out personally tailored clear aligner trays (that function as removable braces)that then come right to your doorstep. Orthodontists understand the massive appeal in better price and convenience that this offers patients. It can not be ignored. The problem is that it has not yet been conclusively proven that this is a completely safe and effective way to obtain such treatment that can significantly impact your mouth and lasts for several years.  

The American Association of Orthodontics Rules Against Direct Order Clear Aligners

The orthodontics association the AAO, or American Association of Orthodontics, has come out pretty firmly against the practice of mailing our clear aligner trays to patients at home who receive only remote over the Internet supervision and monitoring by a professional. Their statement argues that straightening your teeth is only really most effective and safest when trained and highly experienced orthodontists are monitoring you. Your teeth, bite, and the whole mouth is seen while utilizing only the best and most proven materials for the overall health of your mouth. Here we will look at the advantages that personally supervised Invisalign trays offer you over generic clear aligners that are remotely supervised by an over the Internet orthodontist.

Direct to Consumer Clear Aligner Tray Companies Are Selling Convenience

In essence, these direct mail companies providing clear aligners are selling convenience. The straight to your door shipments of aligner trays for significantly lower prices. Many people feel that they do not have time for orthodontics appointments every two weeks for monitoring their progress and treatment. This simplicity without in-office appointments does appeal to a crowd of millennial-aged people who simply feel they do not have the time for traditional treatment. Instead, they schedule over the Internet appointments of only a few minutes as each set of trays arrive and you fit them onto your teeth.    

Advantages Offered by the Original Name Brand System

The Invisalign system offers the advantage of only being available with the local, trained, and highly qualified orthodontists. They will consult, x-ray, picture, measure, order, and administer your treatment and clear aligner program not only in an upfront two appointments but with appropriate follow-ups every two weeks for the next few years. The advantages to the name brand system also include how the state of the art this alignment system offered is. As the original clear tray aligner system, it delivers the ultimate in specially tailored comfort, support, wear, and use. These are the only aligner trays that have been designed from the SmartTrack materials. It means that they have the industry-leading technology that allows for more precision fittings. Not to mention greater comfort. And it is significantly easier to remove and replace fittings. More so than other competing systems which are generic in nature and materials. The precision nature of these trays means that they need tiny changes to be administered by local orthodontists. Distant doctors only overseeing your treatment over the Internet will not recognize these minutely needed adjustments.

Carry on...

Another advantage to the name brand aligners is that they mold precisely to your teeth. They will not be cut straight or cut across the gum line instead. It means that you the patient obtain the best possible comfort and aesthetic appeal from the aligner trays as possible. This is why the name brand program delivers continuously tweaked aligner trays as each patient needs to obtain that dramatically improved, straight teeth smile. The complexity of the original clear aligner trays means that the local orthodontists' care and services will be a necessary component. This is in order to correctly straighten the teeth, bite, and jawline. This will be even more necessary if your case is a more complex one.  

Attachments and Clear Aligners Require Local Orthodontics

Attachments are another element that is particular to the Invisalign clear aligner system. The generic direct mail aligners never use these. Yet the attachments are important. They are teeth colored ridges that orthodontists place on particular teeth. To assist them in moving certain specific teeth more accurately and effectively. The attachments actually apply force at precisely needed points, much like a lever works. Orthodontists recognize that these attachments make the treatment progress faster and better than treatment that does not utilize them.  

In Conclusion: A Word of Warning!

For patients who do opt to go with the self-administered mail order clear aligner trays, it pays to take care. Sometimes emergencies do arise with them. In such a case, who would be responsible to handle your aligner emergency when the distance orthodontists can only offer limited help and assistance with such a problem? Local orthodontists will see you either during or after office hours as needed. To help you deal with any pain-causing emergency with these aligner trays. You do not want to be searching through the Yellow Pages for an orthodontist when you are dealing with significant discomfort or even major pain. The in-person orthodontists will run regular checkups to make sure that your treatment is progressing according to desire and plan. This is not something that you get with the generic aligners and distance supervision.    

Contact us Today

If you are ready to get started now, then call Dr. King at our office to visit us in Dayton, Ohio. We are ready to help make your teeth straightening treatment a beautiful success.

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6460 Far Hills Ave. Centerville, OH 45459 (937) 433-0830

Direct-to-Consumer Clear Aligners (Danger or Safe?)