Are you looking to straighten teeth without going through the hassles of brackets and metal wires? Clear aligners could be your best option as they are customized for you and help in correcting the position of your teeth. The best thing is that you don't have to give up your favorite foods or drinks with clear aligners as you can easily remove them before every meal. The biggest advantage of clear aligners is that they are painless and involve minimal appointments with the dentist.

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1. What are clear aligners for?
2. Step-by-step working of Clear aligners
3. How long does it take to straighten teeth?

Take Away

1. What are Clear Aligners for?

Clear aligners, also referred to as invisible aligners, are transparent and removable orthodontic devices without any braces or wires to adjust teeth. They are generally meant for people who have minor tooth spacing issues or moderately crowded teeth.

Compared to traditional braces, clear aligners are invisible and it's not easy to spot them. Moreover, people have complete freedom of removing clear aligners while brushing, flossing, or eating. They are easy to manage which means it's easy to create and maintain high standards of oral care. The best thing is they fit smoothly on the teeth and take relatively less time to adjust teeth than traditional braces.
The ideal candidates for clear aligners are people with:

• Crooked teeth.
• Spaced or gapped teeth
• Crowded teeth (when the teeth of an individual overlap)
• Open bites (when the lower and front upper teeth slant outward and don't touch when an individual's mouth is shut).
• Underbites (when the lower front teeth overlap with the upper front teeth).
• Crossbites (when the top and bottom teeth don't bite or come together in the correct position).
• Overbites (when the upper front teeth of an individual overlap with the lower front teeth).
• Diastema (when there are large or small gaps between the teeth).

2. Step-by-Step working of Clear Aligners

The fabrication process for clear aligners involves:
A Custom Treatment Plan

• You will need to visit an orthodontist for a detailed consultation on clear aligners for teeth straightening.
• The dentist will evaluate the teeth and a series of photographs and X-rays of the head and mouth will be conducted.Thereafter, a precise digital scan of the patient's mouth will be performed.
• Thereafter, a custom treatment plan for the patient is made after evaluating the 3D scan.
• Patients can view a digital preview of their to-be new smile before the clear aligners are created.
• Once this procedure has been completed, the doctor evaluates the digital plan and gives the approval or makes some recommendations before approval is made.
• Once the surgeon has made the approval, a production facility receives the digital models for the aligners to get fabricated. Thereafter, clear or invisible aligners are delivered to the doctor.

Aligners Daily Upkeep

• A new set of aligners is delivered to the patient every 1-2 weeks.
• Patients are asked to wear clear aligners for teeth straightening for approximately 22 hours every day so that even mild misalignment is corrected.
• Each set of clear aligners will start moving the teeth slowly back into the correct position.
• Complete treatment with clear aligners usually takes around 10-24 months.

After Treatment

• Once the treatment is completed, a custom clear retainer made from the mold of newly-straightened teeth. The retainer is required to be worn every night before sleeping to make sure that malocclusion does not recur over time.
• It is important for patients opting for clear aligners to regularly brush retainers and aligner trays. Moreover, they should make use of a separate toothpaste and toothbrush for brushing the aligners before they can be worn.
• Patients should brush their teeth before aligner trays are put back after eating so that bacteria and food don't get trapped on the teeth.
• You should always remember never to drink or eat anything with the aligner trays inside. Drinking juices or sodas with the aligner trays will make the acidic drinks sit on the teeth and trays that may then cause severe tooth decay.
• It is a good choice to soak the clear aligners regularly in a disinfecting mouth rinse such as Listerine. They should sit in the mouthwash for approximately 2-5 minutes.

3. How long does it take to straighten teeth?

Treatment with clear aligners for teeth straightening is based on how much the teeth are required to be rotated or moved. If your bite is more off or the teeth are excessively crooked, the treatment will take a bit longer. Clear aligner treatment generally takes about 10-24 months. However, if you are an adult who has been embracing braces as a child and your teeth have slightly shifted over time, clear aligners may be required for as short as just 10 weeks.

Take Away

There is definitely more to clear aligners for teeth straightening than just the aesthetics like the significance of wearing clear aligners regularly and knowing how to best care for them. The biggest advantage of clear aligners over traditional braces is that they help you keep your teeth clean and healthy as you can easily take them out to brush and floss your teeth. On the contrary, people wearing traditional braces find it difficult to brush and floss their teeth on an adequate basis. This results in poor hygiene causing carious or precarious lesions in the teeth.

One thing that people opting for clear aligners should always remember that they should be worn for 20-22 hours every day without fail and should be removed by people only to brush their teeth and eat.

If you want to explore the amazing benefits of clear aligners, you should call or visit the Aligner and Braces (AnB) Clinic - the best clinic in Delhi NCR when it comes to clear aligners in Delhi NCR. At Aligner and Braces (AnB) Clinic, you will get the best experience of getting clear aligners for teeth straightening, and pre-post care at an affordable cost from Dr. Varun Grover, one of the most trusted and leading orthodontists in India, working with an experienced team of medical professionals who will always provide the desired results.