New trend for straightening teeth worries orthodontists

Home treatments are on average much more affordable than in-office treatments . This is certainly the strongest point of Your Smile Direct. In addition, since they do not require visits to the dentist, home treatments can be seen as simpler, more convenient for patients.

However, all is not rosy at Your Smile Direct either! The main flaw of Your Smile Direct is that this type of treatment is not able to treat more serious cases of crowding, spacing and misalignment of the teeth as an orthodontist might.

With Your Smile Direct, you take your dental impressions yourselfWith Your Smile Direct, you take your dental impressions yourself.

By carrying out your treatment at home, you will not be able to benefit from the personalization or follow-up necessary to take care of your smile. It is therefore quite possible that you will have to start the treatment again in 4 years, for example.

How does treatment work with Invisalign and Your Smile Direct?

Do you want to start an invisible orthodontic treatment but you do not yet know how it goes? Here’s what you need to know about each of them.

For the orthodontist, undertaking such treatment at home is extremely risky. “You can have loss of teeth, loosening … Irreversible things!” And if, in the best case, the alignment is done, it may not last very long in the absence of a solution to keep the result in place, with a support bar for example. “You will therefore have to redo the treatment two or three years later. We are really in an aggravated mercantilism”, gets carried away Olivier Migault.

To this, Your Smile Direct ensures that it has everything planned. At the end of the treatment, the company sends a compression splint which must be worn day and night for six months and then “all the life” at night. “We can also write a letter to the patient’s practitioner asking for a compression thread, but unfortunately some dentists or orthodontists refuse.”

Care at Invisalign

Here is the classic course of orthodontic treatment with Invisalign:

Initial visit to the orthodontist for an evaluation of your teeth

The licensed orthodontist creates a personalized treatment plan based on the digital scan of your teeth

The dental aligners are then made to measure by the brand

You will need to perform check-ups at the orthodontist every 6 to 8 weeks or so to monitor progress (and make any necessary adjustments)

Treatments at Your Smile Direct

For its part, processing at Your Smile Direct takes place as follows:

Invisalign / Your Smile Direct: can my mutual fund reimburse this care?

Overall, you should know that social security does not reimburse orthodontic care for adults (over 16 years), in general. The first consultation may be reimbursed, regardless of your age, in order to determine with the orthodontist whether dental treatment is necessary, but not the treatment itself.

mutual orthodontics

The rule to remember is as follows: on the Social Security side, orthodontic care for people under 16 (adolescents) is covered for a period of 3 years, at the level of 193.5 euros per semester. Except in special cases, orthodontics is not reimbursed for patients over 16 years of age.

Some mutuals can cover your orthodontic care, including those carried out with Invisalign or Your Smile Direct, but you will need to contact your mutual to find out, because these reimbursements depend on the coverage listed in your contract.

Invisalign / Your Smile Direct: can my mutual fund reimburse this care?

mutual orthodontics

What is the clear aligner technique?

For adolescent or adult patients who wish to create a “Hollywood Smile” for themselves wearing devices that are not visible or annoying, we offer treatments with transparent masks.

This way you create a beautiful smile without disturbing your daily life, your habits and your social relationships.

There are different brands of aligners, but only a very few are reliable. To date, one in particular remains the leading company, both because it was the first to offer these therapies and because it allows for certain, safe results. It is the only registered system capable of solving the most difficult cases such as open bites, deep bites and extraction cases.

How does it work?

The specialist takes an impression of the patient’s dentition in the outpatient clinic using an intraoral scanner. In fact, we no longer use uncomfortable impressions with silicones. This procedure is faster, cleaner and hassle-free.

At this point, works exclusively on a computer, using specific software, analyzing the characteristics of the mouth, to continue with the actual Treatment Plan.

In a nutshell, a clear plan is created on how you want the patient to close the arches and smile. Obviously, every single decision or variation must first be discussed with the person concerned.

Once the plan is accepted, the technicians print the templates.

When to replace the masks and for how long?

Each aligner is used for approximately 1 week before being replaced by the next one, until the final established position is reached.

The period of treatment with the aligners will be determined according to your specific needs and the difficulty of the individual case.

Aligners straighten teeth with adequate and controlled displacement.

Unlike traditional braces, the clear bezel technique not only controls the extent but also the timing of movement for each aligner. So for each phase, only some teeth will be able to move, as defined by the orthodontic treatment plan for that particular phase.

The result is a carefully monitored pressure system that moves the teeth into the desired and established position.

What material are they made of?

The practically invisible aligners are made of a very resistant thermoplastic material for medical use.

The aligners are custom made for you and fit perfectly in your mouth.

When should I wear the aligners?

Aligners should always be worn except when you eat, brush your teeth or floss.

Do the aligners affect the way I speak?

The vast majority of patients did not complain of any effect on speech. However, as with traditional orthodontic appliances, there is an initial adjustment period due to the presence of a new element in the mouth.

Should I avoid certain foods during the treatment?

No, during the treatment you can eat whatever you want because you can remove the aligners to eat and drink. This way you don’t have to give up any of your favorite dishes or snacks. To maintain proper oral hygiene it is important to brush and floss after each lunch and before putting on the aligners again.

Can I chew gum while wearing the aligners?

It is not recommended as the rubber can stick to the aligners. It is advisable to remove the aligners before consuming any meal or snack.

Can I smoke while wearing the aligners?

Smoking is not recommended while wearing the aligners, as it may stain or discolor them.

What is the best way to clean the aligners?

The best way to clean the aligners is to brush and rinse them in warm water or use the special cleaning pads. It is important to use the toothbrush after each lunch and before putting on the aligners again in order to maintain proper oral hygiene.

Is treatment with clear aligners painful?

At the beginning of each new phase of treatment when inserting a new aligner, some patients may experience slight, temporary discomfort for a few days. This is completely normal and is usually described as a feeling of pressure. It proves that the aligners are working by moving your teeth progressively to achieve the desired result. This discomfort usually disappears within a couple of days.

How long does the treatment with aligners last?

The overall duration of treatment depends on the complexity of the case and is generally the same as that of traditional orthodontic appliances. Treatment can usually last from 12 to 18 months. There are cases in which the treatment can last from 6 to 8 months.

(I7 – fast orthodontics)

How often should I go to the dentist once treatment has started?

The intervals between the various appointments are generally 2-3 months and the sessions are faster than traditional orthodontics as it is not necessary to modify the appliance. Furthermore, patients are constantly followed up with a remote monitoring system based on artificial intelligence. To use this system, simply download the dedicated app on your mobile phone. In this way every 2 weeks the patient is scanned and monitored in the best possible way.

After finishing the treatment with aligners, is it necessary to use a retainer mask?

Wearing a retainer is a key step after any orthodontic treatment, as it allows you to keep your teeth stable in their new positions. If you want your teeth to stay in the ideal position for the rest of your life, you should wear it. In some cases, the last aligner used will be your temporary retention mask. In any case, the restraint phase is discussed with the doctor at the end of the treatment to better manage the results obtained.

Are there any patients who cannot use this device?

There are very few cases that this technique cannot deal with.

In fact it is also indicated

in BRUXIST patients
in PERIODONTAL patients
in patients with bone problems (osteoporosis, etc.)
in patients allergic to nickel

What are the benefits of aligner therapy?

The aligners are removable or rather they are “fixed” because they can be worn 22 hours a day, with the advantage that we can remove them at main meals.

Unlike fixed metal braces, therefore, you will have the possibility to eat and drink what you want during the treatment by simply removing the aligners.

You can also remove the aligners to brush your teeth and floss, as you usually would to freshen your breath and maintain good oral hygiene.

The aligners are comfortable.

Unlike traditional fixed appliances, there are no connections or metal wires.

Also, in most cases, this translates into less time spent at the dentist for any adjustments.

Finally, the alignment technique allows you to see the virtual results and the treatment plan even before starting, so you know in advance what the aligned teeth should look like at the end of the treatment.

It has a wide range of cases so the company grants her various discounts that she is happy to share with her patients. For this reason, even high costs are no longer a problem with clear aligners!

There are clinical situations that require the activation of quick packs of clear aligners (I7).

This treatment option offers a practical and simple solution designed specifically for minor tooth movements.

It allows you to obtain results in just three months, without the inconvenience of traditional fixed appliances, finally allowing you to solve the small imperfections of your beautiful smile.

Who is it for?

It is a solution developed for adults and adolescents who need minor orthodontic corrections. It can correct the slight crowding or the boring crooked front tooth that has been bothering you for some time.

Those who have undergone orthodontic treatment in the past may now have noticed that their teeth have shifted over time and are once again aware that they have an imperfect smile.

I7 can help you with a series of removable, transparent and almost invisible aligners, which adapt in a simple and discreet way to your lifestyle.

How does it work?

Aligners align teeth by applying pressure to specific teeth at different times. Made specifically for your teeth, they are worn in two-week intervals. As you replace each aligner with the next set, the teeth move slowly, week after week, until they are aligned in the final position defined by the dentist. I7 is a simple option, suitable for minor corrections and with a typically shorter treatment period than a standard treatment, which allows you to get rid of small and annoying imperfections.

Unlike other orthodontic techniques, a treatment with aligners uses an exclusive software, which generates a digital model from the initial situation to the final result or a 3D virtual treatment plan, to complete the professional opinion of the dentist. This digital model shows the series of movements the teeth could make to move from the desired starting position to the desired final position. This allows you to see how your virtual plan develops and what your smile might look like after the treatment is finished.

Conclusion: what to choose between Invisalign and Your Smile Direct?

Overall there are several big differences between Your Smile Direct and Invisalign.

Invisalign is a treatment performed entirely by professional dentists and orthodontists . Your Smile Direct, meanwhile, calls on the services of orthodontists remotely . In this second case, the patient is responsible for creating the casts of his teeth, monitoring the treatment and its success.

On its site, Your Smile Direct explains that its aligners do not correct crossbites, underbites or more serious alignment problems, but that aligners simply straighten teeth. The treatment does not take into account any unknown problems that must be resolved or complications that may arise during the treatment (need for tooth extraction, problem with the jaw, etc.).