Everything You Need to Know About Clear Aligner Therapy

Clear aligner therapy is an orthodontic therapy that straightens teeth by using a series of clear dental appliances that are custom-made to fit the individual patient’s teeth. Over time, these appliances progressively provide modest pressure to the teeth, causing them to move across the mouth and promoting the movement of the teeth in the process. This practice reshapes the teeth so that they can remain stable in their new positions. Clear Aligners are capable of performing many of the same duties as regular braces, but they are more discrete in their appearance.

What is the Process of Clear Aligner Therapy?

When using clear aligner therapy in Katy, TX, the mouth is reshaped by providing light pressure to each tooth that has to be corrected, both individually and to the palate as its whole. With each application of pressure, the periodontal ligament around each tooth is compressed on the side the tooth is moving towards and decompressed on the side the tooth is going away from, depending on the direction of movement. This causes the blood vessels on each side of each tooth to constrict and expand in response. 

Once the nerve endings in the blood vessels have been subjected to persistent pressure for 1 to 3 days, they transmit chemical signals to the rest of the mouth, causing it to begin creating enzymes known as osteoclasts and osteoblasts. During the process of decompression, osteoclasts break down bone in the tooth and jaw near the compressed ligament, whilst osteoblasts build up a bone on the decompressed ligament. When used together, these enzymes effectively “move” the tooth into its new position, creating and destroying structure until the tooth is able to maintain its new position without the need for an aligner.

What are the Steps in the Clear Aligner Treatment Process?

Clear aligner therapy requires the use of multiple stages of aligners in order to completely rearrange your teeth and get the desired results. The first step is for the staff at Heritage Dental to take digital scans of your teeth, mouth, and palate. In the next phase, we utilize computer software to develop a digital model of your teeth. You’ll wear the aligners throughout the day, with the exception of when you eat, brush, and floss. According to the individual, each step of alignment will take a varying period of time, but in general, you will wear one set of aligners for one to two weeks before moving on to the next stage.

Conventional braces need you to wear visible bars and brackets, which may be uncomfortable and time-consuming. HD Aligners from Heritage Dental are transparent dental aligners that will give you a beautiful, straight smile without the trouble of traditional braces. In addition, the treatment period is much less than that of other teeth straightening solutions. It will take less than six months to complete the therapy.

You can visit Heritage Dental Office in Katy for the best clear aligner therapy in the Texas area.