Clear Aligners Orthodontics

Consider orthodontic treatment with clear aligners if you have crooked, crowded, or misaligned teeth. At Advance Dental, with two locations in Houston, Texas, general dentist Bryan Chu, DDS, and his team offer orthodontic treatment with clear aligners from SureSmile®. Wearing clear aligners each day can gradually align your teeth and transform your smile in as little as six months*. To request a clear aligner consultation, call the nearest office or book online today.

What are clear aligners?

Clear aligners are removable oral appliances that fit over your teeth. They place mild pressure on your teeth and jaw, slowly improving their alignment and position.

Traditionally, orthodontic treatment required metal archwires, brackets, and rubber bands. Clear aligners are different because they’re plastic and blend in with your teeth. Additionally, you can remove them when eating, so you can still enjoy your favorite foods.

What kinds of issues can clear aligners treat?

At Advance Dental, the team uses clear aligners to treat various orthodontic issues, including:

• Crooked teeth
• Crowding
• Overlapping teeth
• Spaces between the teeth
• Misaligned jaw

Advance Dental also uses clear aligners to address bite abnormalities, including overbite, underbite, and crossbite.

What does treatment with clear aligners involve?

At Advance Dental, clear aligner treatment begins with a review of your dental records, an oral exam, and a series of digital X-rays. If your provider identifies an alignment issue, like crooked teeth or a bite abnormality, you most likely will qualify for treatment.

Your provider takes digital impressions of your mouth with a Primescan® intraoral scanner. Then, they upload your scans to a software design program and use the program to map the exact movements of your teeth and jaw.

After they transfer the scans to a 3D printer and create your first set of clear aligners on-site, you try your SureSmile aligners on. Your provider checks your bite, adjusts the fit, and provides care instructions.

During treatment, you visit the nearest Advance Dental office every three weeks. At each checkup, the team monitors your progress and prints a new set of SureSmile aligners. Each SureSmile aligner places slightly different pressure on your teeth and jaw, improving their positions.

How long does treatment with clear aligners take?

Orthodontic treatment with clear aligners typically takes 12-18 months*, but it may take longer depending on your age and the severity of misalignment issues. To ensure treatment goes to plan, follow the team’s instructions, attend each of your visits, and wear your aligners for the prescribed amount of time each day, only removing them to eat or brush and floss.

Call the nearest Advance Dental office to learn more about treatment with clear aligners or book online today.

*Individual results may vary