In recent years, we have seen a rise in at-home dental products meant to straighten or fix teeth. Do-It-Yourself Aligners companies often set up kiosks in malls or pharmacies and offer digital scans of your teeth. While this is a useful technology in understanding the placement and shape of your teeth and bite, digital scans do not provide full insight into your oral health. Creating a beautiful smile takes much more than a scan or impression of your teeth.
For most of us, we view ourselves as patients when seeking care from a doctor. In doing so, we place trust in our providers to look out for many facets of health while diagnosing us and developing care plans. When we look at the Do-It-Yourself Aligners companies model, the company sees us as consumers. Given the choice, would you prefer to visit your doctor if a problem arises or work with a customer service department to solve what may become a serious dental issue? Due to the consumer mentality, you may not receive the care that you need, or have the results you may have hoped for. A lack of professional medical support and a level of uncertainty with the procedure may cause long-term issues.
Many of these products, while they can shift teeth, reduce cost by removing a medical team’s direct oversight. Diagnostic records, X-rays, and imaging contribute to plans that consider tooth, bone, gum, and jaw health. There is more to treating a smile than moving the visible portions of the teeth, and that is where an Orthodontic Specialist is crucial to establishing a healthy bite and smile.
Risks of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Aligners
Opting for the “do-it-at-home” (DIY) option may cause more complex issues than tooth misalignment. Long-term effects of mistreating teeth may result in needing expensive corrective procedures. In the end, you may have to visit an orthodontist to finish what the Do-It-Yourself Aligners company could not treat.
If teeth are not monitored, you may experience
You may not know that clear aligners are strong enough to move teeth and bone. The software used to create clear aligner trays for Do-It-Yourself Aligners products scans only the visible tooth without considering your bone, gum, and jaw health. Occasionally, the software also misses discrepancies in the sizes of teeth, which contributes to jaw alignment. Moreover, without diagnostic X- Rays like OPG and Lateral cephalogram the face structure is not considered in Do-It-Yourself aligners.
Without considering both aspects of oral health, companies are unable to build an accurate care plan that would deliver the best results the way a Certified Orthodontist would. Ignoring these factors can lead to alignment and spacing issues, causing trauma to the jaw, affecting your bite, and may even cause a tooth to move outside of the bone.
When utilizing traditional orthodontic methods, patients receive constant support and even have the option to adjust the plan or seek alternate solutions should a problem arise. During at-home (DIY) treatment, limited support staff is available to consumers if an issue arises. As a result, the best care and dental advice is not readily accessible.
Differences Between Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Aligners and Orthodontic Treatment.
The movement of teeth in the presence of gum disease or cavities will speed up bone loss and the size of cavities. Unlike an Orthodontist, who is a trained Dental professional, direct-to-consumer companies do not take responsibility for your oral health before, during or after treatment. This means that if any dental or medical issues occur or treatment does not go as planned, it’s on you to correct it, not them.
Many orthodontists offer Invisalign/clear aligner as an alternative to braces for individuals looking to use clear braces for cosmetic and comfort reasons. When working with an orthodontist, the process is more controlled. We work with you to build a care plan to ensure you’re maintaining good oral health. Since we see you every four to six weeks during treatment, we can address any issues immediately before they cause larger, more costly problems.
Our Smile Expert, Dr.Sonali Deshmukh is one of the Best Orthodontists in Pune and is in top 5% of Invisalign Providers in Pune.
She not only straightens smiles with clear aligners, but also focuses on other issues like teeth grinding or clenching, airway issues, TMJ pain and many more — things DIY clear aligners don’t address.
Contact Smilex International Dental Centre to schedule a smile assessment consultation with our Best Orthodontist in Pune today.
