How Do Clear Aligners Work?

As you socialize and meet people, you have to smile, and if you have misaligned teeth, you might feel shy. Your smile is the makeup you wear every day. That is why you need to have well-aligned teeth to boost your confidence when you smile. Clear aligners have become a popular way of straightening teeth. Like braces, clear aligners straighten misaligned teeth. The difference between clear aligners and braces is that aligners are removable. This makes them more comfortable. Also, it is not easy for someone to notice if you have clear aligners. If you want to straighten your teeth, you need to know how clear aligners work.

How Clear Aligners Work

Before using clear aligners, you must visit your dentist or orthodontist. They will scan your teeth and use the scan results to make the design of your clear aligners. Clear teeth aligners make small movements as it exerts pressure on your teeth. The teeth will then extend the pressure to the jaws. The jawbone will respond to the exerted pressure by moving, and your teeth will follow suit. The movement of aligners is minor, making your teeth feel comfortable. You will have to wear clear aligners for some hours in the day. You can wear the clear aligners for 22 hours a day to make them effective. You have to remove the aligners when eating, brushing your teeth, or when using dental floss. Remember, even with clear aligners, your teeth’ hygiene is still vital.

How Clear Aligners Straighten Teeth

The dentist will not attach the aligners to your teeth directly. The dentist will put pressure points, called attachment to specific teeth. Attachments are color bumps. Their placement depends on the type of movement needed. They will bond the aligners to your teeth and apply pressure from the clear aligners. The pressure will help the aligners to shift your teeth to the desired positions.

Other than attachment, clear aligners might need elastics to function well. These are rubber bands that work by drawing the upper and lower teeth into their proper position. The dentist will hook the rubber bands onto the clear aligner or to the teeth. The number of rubber bands used will differ from one patient to another. The dentist is the one to determine how many rubber bands will be effective.

Before using clear aligners, you must visit your dentist or local orthodontist. They will scan your teeth and use the scan results to make the design of your clear aligners. Clear teeth aligners make small movements as it exerts pressure on your teeth.

How Long Do Clear Aligners Take To Straighten Teeth?

Your dentist will get the design of your clear aligners and several sets of the clear aligners’ trays. You will have to change the sets after every two weeks. New clear aligner sets apply more pressure on your teeth. Hence your teeth will make some movements. Each tray will move your teeth for certain millimeters. After some weeks, there will be some noticeable changes. After several months, your teeth will realign, and the active treatment phase will be over.

Later on, there is the passive treatment phase. In the passive treatment phase, the clear aligners do not apply any pressure to your teeth. But, you still have to keep wearing clear aligners. The passive treatment phase can take several months as well. If you fail to wear the clear aligners, your teeth might go back to the initial arrangement. The whole treatment process can take close to 12 to 18 months.

In some cases, your teeth might fail to fit the designed clear aligners. This should not cause any worries to you. You can visit the dentist, and they will do some readjustment to the clear aligners. The process of reshaping the aligners is a minor procedure and will not cause any discomfort.

We all need to smile in public, and the journey to get your smile back starts with clear aligners. You need to note that clear aligners function by applying pressure to your teeth. As you continue to wear them every day, they will become more effective. Once you get your clear aligners, you need to be wearing them for at least 22 hours a day. It is very important that when you remove your clear aligners, you keep them clean. Cleanliness prevents the transfer of bacteria from the clear aligners to your teeth. Always follow your dentist’s instructions.