By: John Hackbarth
Did you ever wish your teeth were straighter? You may have heard about ClearCorrect, or Invisalign, or even seen the advertisements on TV suggesting that you could straighten your own teeth with their product. Many folks look at their teeth and wish they could easily straighten them, but they are not interested in having braces. Aligner orthodontics is often a great answer for them. This however, is not something you should attempt yourself, any more than doing your own appendectomy. Aligner orthodontics use a series of clear plastic trays to make incremental changes in the alignment of teeth. This procedure has been around for a long time. Initially models were altered manually to change the position of teeth. This was a slow process and was used only to make minor corrections to a few teeth. Aligners came into their own when computers were first used to digitally move the teeth in small increments and then models were made of each increment which could then be used to make aligners. At that time many more advanced cases were possible. Aligners cannot do everything that can be done with braces but are a good alternative for many people. They are not easily seen and are more comfortable to wear than braces. Many aligner cases can be accomplished in less than one year. If you wish your teeth were straighter, see an experienced dentist who works with aligners and see if you are a candidate for this kind of treatment.
