Do I Really Need Clear Aligners?

Clear aligners are a wonderful way for teenagers as well as adults to straighten out their teeth and have them evenly spaced. If you are questioning whether you need clear aligners, here are some guidelines to look at before you schedule that appointment with an orthodontist for a consultation.

Aligners Are Great For Specific Needs

One reason clear aligners are in the news is that advertisers try and make them perfect for every orthodontic need. There are some types of dental problems that aligners cannot fix. For example, if you have severely overcrowded teeth, you may need to have braces, and you might also need to have some teeth extracted. You may also need braces rather than aligners if you have severe issues with your bite. If you have a severe overbite, underbite, or crossbite, aligners won’t solve your issues.

What aligners do a great job with is fixing tooth spacing issues and crooked teeth. If you have poorly spaced teeth in your top jaw–some of your teeth may be too close together while others are too widely spaced–aligners may be perfect for you. They can also do well with straightening out teeth that are crooked.

Aligners Need Care Too

While aligners tend to be easier to manage than braces, you still need to care for them. If you are a forgetful person, aligners may not be the best option for you. You need to remove those aligners to eat, brush and floss your teeth. If you forget to put your aligners back in, you may lose them or go days without wearing them. Some people do better with braces just because they don’t have to worry about removing them. While aligners are great, if you forget to wear them, they aren’t doing you much good.

If you aren’t sure whether aligners would work for your particular problem, you can consult with an orthodontist to be sure they will be a perfect fit for you.