Convenient In-Office Clear Aligner Treatment
Clear aligners are an effective alternative to traditional braces, because they use a system of clear, removable trays used to straighten teeth. In the past, clear aligner treatment was done by making a mold of a patient’s mouth and sending it to an off-site lab for the aligners to be fabricated.
Though this process was successful, we wanted to reduce our patients’ wait-time to begin treatment, as well as have more overall control over our patients’ treatment.
Thanks to advances in digital technology and 3D printing, we are now able to scan a patient’s mouth, create a mold, and create our own clear aligners, right here at our office, which saves considerable time and money.
Best of all, our clear aligners are made of the same high-quality material as name-brand aligners and work virtually the same. Each aligner is custom-made to fit over your teeth and designed to move teeth gradually into their proper position.
What Are Clear Aligners
Clear aligners are custom-made, removable trays that gradually straighten teeth without metal brackets or wires. Designed using digital scans, they fit comfortably and are nearly invisible when worn. Patients switch to a new set every few weeks, allowing controlled tooth movement while maintaining flexibility for eating, brushing, and daily routines.
Orthodontic Home Care for Clear Aligners
Orthodontic home care for clear aligners focuses on keeping both your teeth and trays clean throughout treatment. Patients are guided to rinse and brush aligners daily, maintain regular oral hygiene, and wear them as directed. Consistent care helps prevent staining, odor, and delays, ensuring smooth and effective tooth alignment.
How do clear aligners work?
Clear aligners are used as an alternative to traditional braces, and are designed to help guide teeth into proper position. Just like braces, clear aligners employ gradual force to control tooth movement, but without any metal wires or brackets.
As treatment progresses, you switch aligners. Each aligner is a little different, so your teeth move a little more with every change.
Aligners are worn for at least 20 hours each day, and you’ll receive a new one every two weeks. The length of your treatment depends on the severity of your case, and treatment can take anywhere from six months to two years.
Digital Scanning
Our intraoral scanner is a small hand-held wand that digitally obtains the arrangement of the teeth and gums with a radiation-free laser. The scanning process is painless and can be stopped and started as many times as necessary. In addition, this means no more gagging or discomfort for patients, since impression trays and impression materials are no longer needed!
Scans are typically completed within five to ten minutes and produce a perfect 3D digital impression of your teeth and soft-tissue structures. This information is used to determine your treatment and provides an idea of the finished result with a 3D model of your teeth on our computer screen.
3D Printing
Using your digital scan, we can print models of your teeth right in our office. Once your teeth have been scanned and your treatment path determined, we print models of your teeth at each stage of tooth movement. After we print the 3D models, we have equipment that allows us to make clear aligners for each stage of tooth movement.
If you’re interested in orthodontic treatment with our in-house clear aligners, schedule an appointment to determine whether this is the right treatment option for you.
