One of the most common questions that dentists get asked is if it’s possible to straighten your teeth without braces. Well, the short answer is yes, although the long answer is a lot more complicated than that.
"Crooked teeth" — or rather an incorrect occlusion — wildly vary in severity, translating to many different treatment options.The severity of the patient's crooked teeth should be taken into account before deciding on a treatment plan. After all, touching pristine unaffected teeth and then loading them with artificial prostheses might not be the best option for something that could be treated much more conservatively as well.
So, let us take at a look at the various ways in which teeth can be straightened without braces.
What Are Aligners — And Are They An Option For You?
Aligners are one of the newer technologies used to straighten teeth. When a patient walks in and asks for "invisible braces" or "straightening without braces", this is what they are usually referring to. Fast becoming more affordable than ever before, they are probably the treatment option suitable for the widest range of patients, short of having braces put in. These aligners function in a way similar to braces, as they apply forces over a long period of time and move the teeth into the desired position. The treatment time, though slightly shorter in most cases, will still take several months
Aligners: What You Need To Know About The Process
The process of getting these aligners is pretty simple. Your doctor will clinically examine your teeth and ascertain whether your case is treatable with this method or not. The advances in this technology and fine-tuning of techniques has meant that a lot more cases are now treatable with the use of aligners than ever before.
After the clinical evaluation, the next step involves making diagnostic casts and taking photographs of the patient. These are then sent to the company making aligners for a pre-treatment evaluation and tentative outcomes. This is done so that the patent has an idea of what the endpoint of the treatment is likely to be and to make sure that any unrealistic expectations are squashed right in the beginning.
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Once the patient has signed off and agreed to the treatment, the company will deliver the aligners to the doctor. These are clear acrylic aligners that are almost impossible to notice after wearing. They are Removable and while they should be worn for as long as possible throughout the day, they can be taken out while in a public setting.
There is a set sequence as to how long each set of aligners has to be worn for and which aligner has to follow the previous one. This is because aligners arecreated with the assistance of a computer model predicting where the teeth will have moved to after wearing the previous set for a certain amount of time.
Drawbacks Of Aligners And Other Options To Straighten Teeth Without Braces
Aligners: Possible Drawbacks And Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage with these retainers is that all the aligners are pre-fabricated on the basis of a computer model. This model of manufacture presumes that the teeth will move to a certain point after wearing one set of aligners, but reality can sometimes differ from the prediction. A small error in movement in the first few aligners will magnify itself manyfold over the course of the treatment.
What's more, the doctor does not have the option of recalibrating the treatment plan as is possible with fixed orthodontic braces.
The other big drawback — for doctor and patient alike — is that the patient is responsible for wearing the aligners, while the doctor is responsible for achieving a satisfactory end result! There is nothing that a doctor can do to ensure full patient compliance, like with fixed braces (where the patient has no option but to wear them!).
Aligners are also extremely expensive as compared to traditional braces.
Keep in mind that sometimes, even after the entire treatment with aligners has been followed through with proper diligence and the correct time frames, the end result still may not be exactly as you had hoped and some amount of finishing might be required with the use of fixed orthodontic braces.
Dental Veneers: Straightening Without Straightening
Dental veneers are without a doubt the quickest way to correct minor malocclusions with the front teeth. Veneers are like the façade of Hollywood buildings. They require a minimum of tooth preparations, avoid root canals completely and give the appearance of perfectly aligned teeth.
It is not a bad option and might be the only solution in some cases, however it does not have the scope to treat many conditions that require orthodontic intervention.
What About Crowns?
Some dentists do give into their patients' demands and try and correct major malocclusions with the help of intentional root canals followed by major tooth preparation. This will rarely have a good outcome, and falls in the grey area of ethical practice. Treatment protocols all over the world are shifting towards a more conservative approach and with a focus on providing the maximum benefit with the minimum treatement.
Lingual Braces
While these are technically fixed orthodontic braces, they should be mentioned since they are almost invisible to other observers. Most patients are not aware of the existence of lingual braces and their main problem with getting braces is aesthetic rather than the long treatment span or physical discomfort.
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If however, those are some things that you want to avoid then this is not the option for you. Being a lot more technique-sensitive than regular braces, lingual braces take the same amount of time (maybe even a little longer) and are pretty uncomfortable to get used to. The tongue constantly keeps hitting against the brackets and maintaining hygiene is also a difficult task.
Sources & Links
- Photo courtesy of Photographing Travis via Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/photographingtravis/16658886139
- Photo courtesy of Zak Greant via Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/zak/138741452
- 1. http://www.invisalign.com/how-invisalign-works
- 2. http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/veneers
- 3. http://www.colgate.com/en/us/oc/oral-health/cosmetic-dentistry/adult-orthodontics/article/sw-281474979294614