To answer this question, you must first understand what orthodontists are. Orthodontists are specialized dental professionals who are experts in treating dental malocclusion and have attained qualifications for that.
If you think of Direct-to-consumer (DTC) or ‘at-home’ aligners without consulting an orthodontist, you will be all by yourself. That is not advisable and involves many risks. Let’s explore the whole process more.
The Role of Orthodontists in Clear Aligner Treatment
Orthodontists are the ones who practically design your smile and set a treatment plan, and based on this analysis, your treatment takes place. Orthodontists study for 4 years to specialize in Orthodontic practices where they have practically faced the malocclusions and other issues that are curable with clear aligners.
So basically, orthodontists are the smile designers and following are the steps on how they actually design a smile:
1. Diagnosis
Your smile makeover starts with visiting an orthodontist. This step is monumental and practically can never be ignored when you are considering clear aligner treatment. The extensive study, practice and experience of an orthodontist are what make your treatment plan a successful and moreover suitable for you.
The orthodontist will diagnose you by taking dental impressions using X-rays and digital imaging and determining what course of action and treatment plan suits you according to your lifestyle, health, and age.
2. 3D Scan
Orthodontists use 3D Intraoral scanning to help view and record the present condition of which the plan is made. This scan is transferred to a software which the orthodontist uses in absence of the patient to evaluate from all angles the most precise and comfortable way to bring about the necessary changes. This analysis is vital to make customized trays for your treatment.
3. 3D Printing of Aligners
After determining the required movement of the misaligned teeth, the orthodontist will show you how your smile will look during treatment and how long it will take. The 3D printing of the models for aligner fabrication will be initiated upon your approval.
4. Delivery
After going through various polishing and quality assurance stages, your Aligner kit, including your customized aligners, will be delivered to you by your treating orthodontist.
5. Treatment
Once you are about to begin with your treatment, your orthodontist will provide you with a set of instructions which are significant for obtaining a successful result. Failing which you will lose your treatment essence. During your treatment several meetings with your doctor will be pre-appointed just to monitor your treatment progress, further adjustments and other concerns.
Without a personal touch with your orthodontist there will be no one to help monitor your treatment process.
5. Smile Ready for good
As you complete your clear aligner treatment, the beautiful result will last permanently if you act as instructed by your orthodontist and retain your beautiful smile for life. Remember, even after accomplishing your treatment there are several instructions you have to follow for a long time given only by your orthodontist.
Potential Risks of At-Home Clear Aligner Treatment
Treatment without consultation
You visit a dental clinic looking forward to a detailed consultation. This part of the treatment is missing in the at-home aligner treatment process. Companies providing home aligners are only limited to just providing aligners and making an impression. There is no follow-up or mid-treatment support provided during the process. Online consultation can never substitute a face-to-face consultation as it limits personal touch.
Lack of personal touch
Many patients complain about cuts in their gums, an inability to chew food, improper fit post and during the treatment course with at-home aligners. Since you have no authorized place or professional to help you if you rely on your self-assessment only, isn’t that scary?
Inaccurate fit
The key to effective aligner treatment depends on the fit of the aligner. In this case, you don’t get to try the fit of the aligners before the actual treatment for home aligners. An inaccurate fit aligner will cause discomfort, pain and other complications, and also, there are no doctors available.
Value for money questionable
Home aligners do not include mid-treatment follow-up or support; if the treatment doesn’t work as planned, you may have to visit a dentist or an orthodontist, which eventually will incur more expenses in the treatment.
Performance questionable
The only focus of Home aligners with remote planning is on aesthetics while not taking care of the functioning of the teeth or the occlusion required for a proper bite.
Lack of essential services
Pre-treatment with gum disease or cavities is necessary before initiating an orthodontic procedure. Providers of such at-home aligners overlook decay and gum issues in the oral cavity, which might get worse during treatment.
Lack of personalization
Clear aligner treatments are unique in nature and vary from person to person according to their personalization requirements. In fact, some people are not ideal candidates for clear aligner treatment. Also, some severe malocclusions are not treatable with clear aligners. Missing such information can be hazardous to the patients.
Also Read
The Benefits of Consulting an Orthodontist for Clear Aligners
Treatment accuracy
Experienced orthodontists spend years learning to identify and correct orthodontic issues safely and successfully. That’s why the first step for any patient should always be a consultation that includes a thorough oral examination.
Personalized treatment
Treatment with Clear aligners is unique as it involves customized planning according to the patient’s requirements. After assessing your dental condition, your orthodontist will plan a treatment schedule and several aligners that accurately suit your concerns.
Professional supervision
All orthodontic patients will have regular check-ups. These are usually scheduled every 8-10 weeks or so, depending on the treatment plan. During these visits, the orthodontist will check that the teeth are moving safely and make any necessary adjustments to the appliances. More than self-monitoring of your treatment at home will be required.
Final Verdict
Remember, health concerns and issues are not DIY (do it your own) projects you can experiment on! If you can’t do your own root canal or tooth extraction, you should not fall for such lucrative branding of ‘at-home’ aligners.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC) aligners can be attractive because they offer affordable shortcuts to a straighter smile. However, they could actually end up costing more when you consider all the potential risks they come with. Eventually, orthodontist-recommended clear aligners are the cost-effective solutions for the teeth straightening process you should consider.
Orthodontists are dental specialists with dental issues like crowded teeth, overbite, underbite, space between teeth with bad alignment, crossbites, pain of teeth and jaws that occur because of wrong biting issues. They are working with active cases of using clear aligners, braces and other devices. So, considering an orthodontic treatment option of any kind is not advisable without involving a dedicated orthodontist.
At i3dliner, we have a network of 100+ orthodontists available across Assam. Contact us for any dental queries of you or your near ones.
FAQs
At-home teeth aligners are less safe than dentist-supervised ones. If you have pain with an at-home aligner kit, the best advice is to remove your aligners.
The cost of aligner treatment from an orthodontist will cover your overall treatment plan, taking into consideration your health, age, and type of oral issues, along with the number of aligners required and scheduled check-ups. So, all these together cost more than a supervision-less aligner treatment.
There are vast differences between the two approaches, which we have covered in the above article. One of the major differences is when choosing an In-Office or at-clinic Aligner, a team of certified professionals will always be available to solve your queries instead of a call-center telephonist or a mail-in case of an at-home solution.
References
Weir, T. (2021, August 3). Do You Need an Orthodontist for Clear Aligners? Healthline.
American Association of Orthodontists. (2019, July). Clear Aligner Therapy.
Burhenne, M. (2022, September 14). At-Home Clear Aligners: How Do They Work and Are They Safe? Ask the Dentist.
Jacobs, D. (2021, June 16). Can You Get Invisible Aligners Without Seeing an Orthodontist? WebMD.
Apa, R., & Chung, M. (2020). Clear Aligner Treatment: An Overview. Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, 54(3), 127-134.
Kravitz, N. D., Bullock, A., Cowley, D. P., & Taylor, T. D. (2021). Do-it-yourself orthodontics: An analysis of internet marketing practices and the potential for patient harm. American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, 159(1), 115-124.
Giannuzzi, N. J., & Afzal, A. (2021). Risks and Benefits of At-Home Clear Aligners. Journal of the California Dental Association, 49(1), 30-38.
American Dental Association. (2020, September). Direct-to-Consumer Orthodontic Treatment.
