3 Reasons Why You Should Get Your Teeth Straightened With a Dentist vs DIY Provider
Hi, I’m Dr Debraj Chakraborty, the principal dentist of Carina Gardens Dental here at Carina in Brisbane. You can call me Dr Raj.
Last night, I was scrolling through Instagram when I saw an ad that said: “Get your teeth straightened at home. Do it yourself.” It was quite cheap and affordable.
To be honest, I cringed when I saw that, because we have treated so many patients who had those DIY procedures, and they were worse off compared to when they first started.
Now, I’m not saying they don’t work at all, but orthodontic treatment is certainly not as straightforward as how these providers portray it, and there are a lot to consider to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the treatment.
So in this video, I’m going to share with you why you should get your teeth straightened with a dentist rather than from an online DIY provider.
First of all, you have to ask yourself: why are those DIY clear aligners cheaper as opposed to going to the dentist?
Here at Carina Gardens Dental, we use Invisalign and other Australian aligner systems.
Invisalign has been the market leader for over 20 years. They have been the pioneers of the aligner technology. They use the best materials to give most comfort, and they have data to prove that their product works.
The cost of Invisalign is very high for the dentist, it is actually much higher than the price those DIY providers charge directly to the consumers. But we often choose it because we want to make sure our patients get the best result, and is most comfortable. Afterall, it is sitting in your mouth for at least 22 hours a day.
Another reason is the ongoing monitoring. Here at Carina Gardens Dental Center, when we have an orthodintic patient, we always have them come in every month to check on their progress and if there’s any issues, we correct them right away.
Now, with the DIY or take-home products, there is nobody for you to go and check in with. There’s no dentist involved in this so if something goes wrong, you cannot contact anybody.
Finally, with an orthodontic treatment, it is so much more than just accurately straightening your teeth, but straightening them safely.
Some patients may not be qualified for orthodontics because of gum issues, and they wouldn’t know that without a dentist performing a comprehensive exam. If you start an orthodontic treatment with gum disease, it can sometimes lead to further loosening of the teeth, which may eventually fall out.
Another thing to consider is that, often, to realign your smile, it requires more than just some plastic trays. It might require other procedures like a surgery or treating gum disease first before getting Invisalign, and hence not every case is appropriate to treat with only aligners.
Or you might need interproximal reduction on some teeth to create the space for the teeth to rotate into the correct position. None of this is possible with an online DIY treatment.
Finally, the last factor to consider is that every individual treatment plan has to be customised for that individual’s mouth. It’s not one-size-fits-all. Whilst the clear aligner software is intelligent enough to plan the movement of the teeth, we have to do a lot of modifications in their treatment plan. In general, we do four to six modifications before we complete a treatment plan for each patient to ensure the best and safest result.
I hope you now understand the difference between getting DIY aligners online vs getting your teeth straightened under the care of a dentist. If you’ve been looking to get your smile straightened, we would love to look after you.
Simply call us on 07 3398 3918, complete the form on our website, or send us a DM on social media, and we’ll help you organise your consultation. See you in the next video.
The content has been made available for informational and educational purposes only. Carina Gardens Dental does not make any representation or warranties with respect to the accuracy, applicability, fitness, or completeness of the content.
The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional personal diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a dental or medical condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen on the Site.
Treatments
Services We Mentioned:
More Like This
Related Articles
