Can Self-Directed Clear Aligner Treatment Cause Root Resorption?
Since several of Align Technologies’ patents on clear aligners expired in October of 2017 many competitors have popped up, including some promising treatment without needing to leave the comfort of your house. While on paper this seems great, dentists have been warning of all the corners that are being cut in this process. As predicted, these aligners have resulted in many poor outcomes and a class action lawsuit. At the end of the day, if you’re looking for clear aligner treatment near Newburyport, there is no replacement for visiting the dentist to get your treatment.
One of the most important steps that some of these clear aligners companies skip is progress monitoring. When clear aligner treatment is done professionally a dentist will keep an eye on your x-rays monitoring the impact the aligner therapy is having on your mouth. Depending on the progress that they are seeing they may recommend refinements and changes to the treatment plan as needed.
As part of the monitoring a dentist will look for signs of root resorption, when the root structure of a tooth starts eroding away. This can happen as a result of orthodontic treatment that is too aggressive. Since the clear aligner treatment isn’t being administered by your dentist they may not know to keep an eye out for that, or knowing your teeth better than anyone else, may have recommended a slower treatment plan.
If you’re thinking of getting at-home clear aligner therapy, please talk to your dentist first. If they can’t convince you of how bad of an idea it is, they can at least keep an eye out for complications that might come as a result, such as root resorption.
If this root resorption gets bad enough, the teeth may become loose, requiring you to spend more on dental care than if you would have gotten the Invisalign treatment safely under the supervision of a dentist.
If you live near Newburyport and are looking to get your teeth straightened we urge you to consider Invisalign treatment at Artisan Dentistry, directed by a cosmetic dental specialist, instead of an at-home solution.