Skip to main content

The journey to a straighter smile: What to expect with clear aligners from start to finish

Written by Middleborough Dental Care on . Posted in Blog.

Clear aligners do a great job of straightening teeth, correcting crossbites or overbites, closing gaps between teeth, and generally making a smile look better.

Millions of people all over the world have used clear aligners to help them get that perfect smile and many have combined clear aligner treatment with other dental procedures to achieve the desired results.

However, like any dentistry treatment or procedure, clear aligners may not be the perfect fit for all patients. Every case is different, so your dentist will need to make an individual assessment.

Clear aligner treatments are tried, tested, and reliable

At Middleborough Dental Care, we offer both Invisalign and Spark Clear Aligners as clear aligner treatments. Often either one would be a favourable treatment and achieve optimal results, but sometimes one or the other might be more suitable for a particular patient.

Whichever way we go, there are essentially the same five steps:

  1. Our expertise and advanced technology are used to assess and diagnose your teeth and smile.
  2. We map out the precise movements required to realign your smile and create a personalised treatment plan tailored to your specific needs.
  3. Your custom clear aligners are made and fitted.
  4. Your teeth are gradually realigned as you wear the clear aligners constantly, only taking them out to eat, drink, and brush your teeth.
  5. Throughout your treatment, we will monitor your progress and make any necessary adjustments to your treatment plan. After active treatment is completed, we provide retainers to retain your new smile.

Can you still get clear aligners if you have a missing tooth?

If you have lost a tooth and you’re also in need of additional orthodontic treatment for mild to moderate alignment issues, clear aligners are a viable option.

It makes sense to realign your teeth first before looking at a permanent solution, such as an implant. The realignment, once completed, will help guide the specifications and positioning of the replacement for the missing tooth.

The aligners can help move the surrounding teeth into the correct positions before we reassess how we address the gap. If we recommend other treatments, such as a dental bridge or implant, we’ll be doing so with a solid foundation in place due to the realignment having taken place.

Of course, that’s not to say that using clear aligners with a missing tooth doesn’t present some challenges.

Clear aligners rely on neighbouring teeth for support and anchorage so, where a tooth is missing, we have to assess whether there is enough support for the aligners to apply the necessary pressure to move the teeth effectively.

It will depend largely on where the tooth is missing from, but also to some extent on the reason for the tooth loss and gum health.

Realignment and tooth replacement are both important

If it’s a question of whether to do one or the other – that is, either realign your teeth using clear aligners or replace a missing tooth – that can be a very individual decision.

Wherever possible, we will offer the option of doing both things, as your long-term oral health might benefit from both replacement and realignment.

Keep in mind that orthodontic problems can affect your quality of life in various ways, from your confidence and self-esteem to your chewing efficiency and bite functionality.

If we are using clear aligners with missing teeth, we might employ a space maintainer to prevent teeth from drifting over and creating a more severe misalignment.

The MDC team has the skills and experience to treat you

Whatever your oral health issue might be, and regardless of whether there are multiple concurrent issues that you want to address, the Middleborough Dental Care team can develop a personalised plan to achieve your desired outcome.

We understand that in many cases there are both orthodontic and aesthetic considerations and, in the end, all of our patients want to have the nicest smile possible.

It all comes down to our initial assessment, so book an obligation-free smile design session at Middleborough Dental Care and let us show you what’s possible.