• Office Lowering the toilet lid is a health issue
  • Vaccination Children's campaign: objective to immunize 1.5 million Spanish children against influenza
  • Alert Scombroidosis: the dangerous poisoning from eating spoiled tuna
  • Tips The mistakes that should be avoided by the three million Spaniards who wear contact lenses so as not to lose their sight

Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people resorting to invisible orthodontics has skyrocketed. Problems such as dental crowding or misalignment, which until a few years ago were corrected with the famous metal brackets, have come to want to be treated with these transparent aligners that can be removed and put on easily.

If you are thinking of resorting to one or you are simply curious about how this method of dental alignment works, I invite you to continue reading.

What is invisible orthodontics?

It is an orthodontic treatment that has the purpose of correcting bad positions or deviations of the teeth, using transparent removable aligners made to measure for each patient with the help of a computer program that scans our mouth and allows us to see how the final result will be from the first day.

Is it painful?

It is annoying especially when it comes to changing phase and starting with a new pair of aligners. You will notice that they put pressure on your teeth, especially the first days of the change, but it is necessary and an indicator that they are being placed in the right way.

Can I live a normal life with it?

If by normal life we understand eating and drinking everything, with invisible orthodontics on no. We can drink water without problem, but if we want to drink infusions, coffee or soft drinks, we must first remove the aligners. With food the same thing happens, we can eat what we want but always after removing them. And at the end,before putting them back, we must brush our teeth.

So, can I take them off whenever I want?

Correct, you remove them and put them on with a simple gesture, but if we want to do the treatment well and achieve the expected results we must wear the splints at least 20 hours each day.

How do I know which splint to wear?

The splints are numbered and packaged in pairs. The orthodontist, on a calendar, will tell you which day you should move forward and change the pair of splints for the next to progress in dental alignment.

Is these aligners alone enough to correct everything?

It depends on each case, so it must be assessed individually. Sometimes it will be necessary to place extra elements such as attachments, rubbers or microscrews to help the aligner grip the teeth or to turn and move very misplaced teeth.

What if I lose an aligner?

It's more common than you think. They retire to eat, wrap themselves in a napkin and end up in the trash. In this case we must inform our dentist to assess if, depending on the day of the month in which we are, a new one is ordered, we return to the previous set of aligners or we advance to the next.

And at the end of the treatment, are the results maintained?

Exactly the same as with braces or any other type of orthodontics. Of course, we must bear in mind that the teeth tend to return to their initial position, so it is very likely that as the last phase of the treatment we have to use the so-called retainers. This is nothing more than a device, fixed or movable, that will prevent the teeth from having freedom of movement.

Are orthodontics advertised online reliable?

Practically every day there are ads on social networks or web pages about invisible aligner devices that can be purchased through the internet, offering affordable prices and promising express results.

The reality is that these remote treatments are hardly monitored by orthodontists. As the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Health Products warns, "the aligners are sent directly to the patient to perform the treatment at home without the supervision of a specialist, and without an accurate diagnosis or the realization of an individualized treatment plan".

  • Saturated Nurse