Author: Clear Braces Direct

If you are wishing to straighten your teeth, but don’t want to have any invasive surgeries, then Invisalign could be a great option for you. This is a simple process which can bring effective results through the use of plastic aligners. These aligners are thin and clear, and will gradually move your teeth over time.

We are proud to offer our 3-step Invisalign treatment for our patients to enjoy. We take pride in delivering a high-quality service, making you feel comfortable and welcome whilst doing so. This treatment can really make a difference to your smile, so contact us today for an appointment!

How does it work?

The first step is having a consultation appointment with one of our dentists here at Clear Braces Direct London, so we can find out whether or not you’re eligible. We can also answer any questions you may have and discuss the treatment. We use high-tech, 3D scanners to get a perfect look at all of your teeth in a more in-depth way. We then use something called Invisalign Clincheck which allows us to show you the difference the aligners will make week by week and what they should look like at the end of it. If you decide you want to go ahead with the treatment, we will send these scans off so that your custom aligners can be created.

Once you have received your aligners, you can truly start your journey. You will be given multiple aligners, each one being slightly different in order to move your teeth into a straighter position. You will change these from the comfort of your own home, which our patients love. On top of this, we also have a London Clear Braces Direct app where you can send us pictures of your progress and communicate with us, meaning fewer unnecessary appointments. The treatment time varies depending on your needs, but range from 6-18 months.

The final step of our Invisalign treatment is whitening and retaining. We will include whitening gel with your aligners so you can use it to really help to finish off your new look! It is always recommended to use retainers after straightening your teeth, to ensure that they don’t move back to their original position.

The advantages

When you have Invisalign with us here at Clear Braces Direct in London, there are so many great benefits you can enjoy, whether it’s before you start the treatment, during or after.

These aligners are removable, meaning that you won’t have to worry about what foods you eat, our patients love this as they can simply pop the aligner out before they eat. This also means it is easier to clean them, all you have to do is take it out, brush it with your toothbrush, give it a rinse and you’re good to go!

The clear, thin plastic material that is used to make these London Clear Braces Direct aligners means that when you are wearing them, no one will even notice you have them in. This is good if you are a more self-conscious person and don’t want to draw added attention to your teeth.

With Clear Braces Direct London, you can receive treatment with Invisalign direct to your door! The effective yet subtle orthodontic treatment is usually reserved for in-clinic treatment. We have lowered the barrier of entry to allow the greatest number of people to get access to and benefit from Invisalign.

Orthodontic corrections are common in dentistry and an estimated third of all children will need some form of alignment. Invisalign is suitable for any age, as long as you have all of your adult teeth! It is also a great way to receive treatment as an adult conveniently and unobtrusively.

After an assessment with our clinical staff to ascertain your suitability and ensure that clear aligners would be useful in your case, the fitting can begin.

We perform oral scanning at our Clear Braces Direct London treatment rooms, which allows us to capture an extremely accurate record of the starting positions of your teeth, a fundamental step in getting the most from your use of Invisalign. There is no obligation to proceed with treatment at this point if you do not wish to. The use of intra-oral scanning lowers the overall cost and allows you to avoid having to sit for a dental mould, which can take up to 5 minutes to set and can agitate some patients’ gag reflex. It is a lot cleaner too.

What is it like using aligners?

Aligners work by coaxing your teeth into new locations, rotating them and straightening them by constantly applying mild pressure to your teeth. Throughout the treatment, you will wear each aligner for about 2 weeks and when you move on to the next one in the treatment cycle will depend on how compliant your teeth are. At the start of wearing a new aligner, they will fit very snugly and over time, they will become noticeably looser; this is because your teeth have moved to better fit the aligner! That is when it is time to move on to the next aligner in the set, progressively moving your teeth to the final post-treatment positions.

How do they make clear aligners?

The clever bit of aligners is the use of computer-aided design via Invisalign’s ClinCheck software. This provides an interface for an orthodontist to plan your future smile by rearranging the 3D model of your teeth. This gives the final position and ClinCheck creates a smooth transition tracking the movement necessary to rearrange your teeth.

From this, a treatment schedule of aligners can be produced that will push on the teeth when worn, making that final positioning a reality.

Treatment length and check-ups

The total length of the treatment time will be highly variable depending on the severity of each case; it could be from 6 months to several years. After an assessment, an approximation can be made on the treatment length for you. During treatment, we will always be available to provide advice and guidance online and by phone. But you are recommended to visit our Clear Braces Direct London clinic every 8 weeks to monitor progress.

There are multiple orthodontic alternatives in modern-day dental clinics with very different means of suitable and convenient treatments. As older head braces and headgear become almost unheard of in the dental world, clear ceramic braces and clear aligners are fast becoming the norm.

There was always the desire to keep braces as unobtrusive as possible, but with progression in science and computer-aided design, clear aligners have become a practical and effective treatment for many minor orthodontic issues.

But, there are limitations on the use of aligners at Clear Braces Direct London.We have experience of guiding 5900 patients through their orthodontic treatment with aligners and know how to get the most from your Clear Braces Direct London in your home.

We are asked many similar questions from our patients, so here are our top 5 FAQs answered.

Can I get an invisible brace?

It’s very likely that you can, as there are very few restrictions or contraindications attached to them. You need all your adult teeth and if you are under 18 years old, you will need either your parents’ or guardians’ permission. If you have cavities, signs of weakened teeth or gum disease, you will have to resolve those conditions before starting any orthodontic treatment.

Will it hurt?

All orthodontic treatment relies on how mobile teeth are, even if most of the time the movement occurs too slowly for us to notice. The constant pressure on your teeth to make these movements possible is going to cause discomfort. Patients who have used both clear aligners and standard braces are surprised by how comfortable aligners are. By using the minimum effective force to alter the tooth’s positions, aligners also make smaller increments when making adjustments than those performed by an orthodontist using a standard metal brace.

How many aligners will I need?

Every patient is different and how many aligners you will need is going to be highly variable depending on your case. Each aligner will be used for approximately 2 weeks, but this will also vary depending on how often you use your aligner, 20 plus hours a day is recommended to notice the desired results quickly.

When your aligner is no longer a tight fit, it is because your teeth have moved into their new position and the aligner is no longer under tension. During your treatment, our team is always just a call away and we are happy to guide you through the process with advice or tips.

What about the total time of the treatment?

This something that varies on a case by case basis, but an approximation can be made after a clinical assessment. At the end of your treatment with aligners, there will be an assessment comparing the predicted results with the actual outcomes and depending on how it is going, there may be one or two ‘refinement’ aligners to finish your treatment. These aligners will be provided at no additional cost if they are required.

Is it expensive?

There are financing options for spreading the cost of treatment. Clear Braces Direct London are usually seen as adult and cosmetic by the NHS so you will have to cover the costs.

Clear braces, also known as Invisalign, are chosen by our patients as a convenient and relatively easy means of improving the alignment of the teeth. They are used for patients who want to get a better smile without having to go down the route of using traditional metal fixed braces and offer a lot of advantages during the treatment process. We at Clear Braces Direct can help you to find out anything you need to know.

Invisible braces are essentially trays of clear plastic that are soft and malleable to allow a comfortable fit for every patient. We scan the mouth before commencing treatment to allow us to create trays that are tailor-made to the requirements of the individual; allowing confidence in the final results.

Having been provided with aligners, our patients then wear them for around two weeks at a time, before moving to the next set. In this way, the teeth are gradually moved into a better position with minimal discomfort and at a pace that our patients are usually very comfortable with.

For people who are considering Clear Braces Direct in London treatment, here is our guide to ensuring the best possible results at the end of the process and beyond.

Wearing for results

An important factor to bear in mind when opting for orthodontic treatment with aligners is whether or not the patient is able to commit to wearing them almost constantly. If they are worn for 22 hours in every 24-hour period, then good results can be expected. However, if the patient is continuously removing and replacing the trays in order that they may indulge in snacks, drinks, smoke or vape; then they may find that the end result is not quite as impressive as it could be.

Patients can of course still eat and drink, however, the timing of this should be carefully planned: with meals, drinks and snacks being consumed within a total of two hours over any day. The upside of this is that bad habits like overindulging in snacks or drinks can be minimised by undergoing Invisalign treatment: some people may find that it’s not just the smile that sees improvements!

Keeping clean

The success of teeth straightening with aligners is affected by how clean the trays are kept; and also general oral hygiene. The braces should be thoroughly rinsed with cold water and teeth should be cleaned before replacing after meal or snack times. Patients should continue to clean their teeth and gums regularly as well as using floss or interdental brushes. When the straightening process is complete, most people want their teeth to look clean and healthy as part of the package. The onus is on the patient to ensure this, however regular visits to the dentist for check-ups and professional cleaning can make the process easier, and is an important part of maintaining oral health.

Wear a retainer

Here at Clear Braces Direct in London, we offer retainers after the treatment has been completed. Prospective patients can find out more about maintaining the position of the teeth after wearing aligners and learn about how this is an easy way to protect the investment made.

Clear braces, also known as aligners, are chosen by many people as a means of correcting the position of the teeth in a relatively short time period with minimum fuss. Here at Clear Braces Direct in London, we aim to make the process of obtaining and undergoing treatment as easy and convenient as possible; allowing our patients to get on with life while improving their appearance and general confidence. For those wondering what kind of issues aligners can help correct, we have produced this handy guide to give an idea of who might be a good candidate for this treatment.

Overbite

An overbite is a term used to describe the upper front teeth overlapping with the lower front teeth. Most people have an overbite to some extent, but when it is pronounced there can be some issues. Firstly, an overbite can cause issues relating to confidence in the appearance, particularly if it is very noticeable. Secondly, in the long term, it can cause issues such as the teeth becoming worn down and even discomfort in the jaw.

Underbite

An underbite occurs when a person’s lower teeth at the front of the mouth partially cover the upper teeth when the mouth is closed. For people who have an underbite, there may be some difficulty in chewing food in a normal fashion. It can also cause the deterioration of teeth over time, as they are worn down more rapidly by their positioning.

Cross bite

When a person closes their mouth, and some of the upper teeth move inside the lower teeth while the upper and lower jaws are misaligned; this is known as a cross bite. As with an overbite or underbite, this issue can cause the teeth to be eroded more rapidly over time. A cross bite can also cause gum recession that can result in discomfort, possible bone loss and even tooth loss in the long term.

Gap teeth

The term gap teeth is used to describe additional spaces between the teeth. As well as potentially making a person self-conscious, gap teeth can cause difficulties in maintaining oral health. The spaces between the teeth can be damaged by having food stuck in them for long periods of time, as they are difficult to clean. If this continues in the long term, then the person can be at risk of developing gum disease.

Open bite

An open bite occurs when the lower and upper teeth don’t meet when a person closes their mouth. This can cause problems with chewing or biting into some harder foods such as apples.

Crowded teeth

If there isn’t enough space for the teeth, and they become crowded, they can become very difficult to keep clean by brushing and flossing. If this isn’t resolved, then oral health may deteriorate and the person may even suffer from gum disease.

Here at Clear Braces Direct in London, we feature real-life results from our treatments. Have a look to see how we have helped our patients to resolve issues like overbite, crowded teeth and more; then get started on the journey to a better smile!

So your thinking about your orthodontic options? Whether this is the result of a conversation with your local dental team or just a personal goal which may be on your bucket list, we at clear braces direct in London are here with our affordable at-home solution to getting straighter teeth.

The metal brace is one of the most iconic pieces of dental equipment, recognised universally, but often not for good reasons. There have been attempts from the start of orthodontics to try to make a more stylish or at least more discrete treatment option.

The traditional archwire brace itself is actually part of that progression. Replacing full headgear (which was very inconvenient and challenging to sleep and wash in), this wire pushed the standard brace forward leaps and bounds.

But as technology has marched on, so must orthodontics and with it comes innovations and new ways of moving teeth. This is where our work at clear braces direct in London comes in! We provide the support required for you to get all the benefits of clear aligners at home without having to attend dental clinics or surgeries. With our consultations and check-ups conducted online and our aligners sent out to you in the mail, it is easier to fit us around a busy lifestyle!

But how to do you straighten teeth from home?

The clear aligners are a very personalised tooth shaped aligner, which carries out much of the functions of a traditional brace by pushing and coercing teeth into their new positions.

The clear aligners are only considered effective for minor to moderate dental misalignments. One of the first things we will explore with you upon booking an online consultation is if an aligner would be appropriate for you and what resources and overall experience you should expect.

The treatment time using aligners varies from patient to patient, based on the complexity of the case and the time that you can spend wearing your aligner. Its is strongly recommended that you wear aligners as often as you can, only removing them briefly to eat and drink.

This is also a similarity to the metal brace which cannot be removed. As such, the aligners will require careful and thorough cleaning after eating to remove food from under the archwire and in between the anchor points. Aligners are much easier to clean but as you wouldn’t wear them while eating, it is unlikely that there will be any damage caused by food build-up. Just be sure to brush your teeth after eating and before placing the aligners back in your mouth.

Will people notice the aligners?

Probably not; one of the biggest draws to clear braces directly in London is how easily they go unseen, even when talking. The thin yet tough polymers we use in constructing our clear aligners make them a pleasure to wear and will not disrupt your speech patterns.

For more information, feel free to contact us about the at-home fitting process and how often you will need to change your aligners. Ask about our guide to app-based orthodontics and how to get the most out of your time with clear aligners.

Looking good is a very important thing for many of us all across the world. The importance of looking good is often unsurprising. After all, many people find that by knowing that they look good, have a lot more self-confidence, which makes them more resilient to the challenges of everyday life. Furthermore, looking good can also give people more opportunities and advantages both socially and in the world of work. While we would all love to look as good as our favourite models or celebrities, sadly this isn’t always possible in the real world. What we can do though is take small steps to improve our appearance over time, thus giving us an appearance that we can feel proud of and that gives us confidence. One of the best ways to look good and feel good is to take a look at different cosmetic treatments that may be available to you. There are cosmetic treatments available for almost any part of the body nowadays, including the skin, face and the subject of this article, the teeth. A cosmetic dentist can carefully alter a patient’s teeth in order for them to look more aesthetically pleasing in a number of different ways. One of the most popular and well known ways is through teeth whitening. Teeth whitening is a treatment that provides the patient with lighter shades of teeth over time. There are many different providers of teeth whitening, including Clear Braces Direct in London. Whether or not getting teeth whitening, or indeed any type of cosmetic dental treatment from Clear Braces Direct in London sounds appealing at this point, it can still be helpful to learn more about teeth whitening and the process behind it. With this information, it will be easier for anyone to make a decision about whether teeth whitening is right for them.

One of the most important things to consider when thinking about teeth whitening is where to go and have the treatment performed. Naturally, we would all want a reliable and professional dental practice to perform this treatment. It is for this reason that we recommend Clear Braces Direct in London. Here at Clear Braces Direct in London, we have a team of some of the UK’s leading dentists. Our passion and precision for dental treatments of all kinds allows us to happily treat even some of the most complicated cases. With many of our treatments, including teeth whitening and invisalign, we employ a philosophy of “science meets art” which allows us to give every patient the individual consideration and professionalism that they deserve.

How it feels to have teeth whitening treatment

Before receiving teeth whitening treatment, a patient must book an appointment to have a 3D scan taken of their teeth. This is done so that a custom tray can be made to fit neatly and snugly over the front of their teeth. Inside the tray there is a whitening agent which is transferred from the tray onto the patient’s teeth.

Teeth whitening is an effective solution to tooth discolouration and staining and it leads to a cosmetically enhanced appearance for a patient’s teeth.

As human beings, it is often difficult for us to find the time or energy to really improve our lives. Indeed, it is a simple fact of life that self-improvement takes time and often many different steps and stages to achieve. This is true whether we are trying to physically improve our bodies to look and act better or if we are trying to improve our behaviours and attitudes towards the world. This measured approach of improvement coming over several steps also applies to smaller and more specific things as well. Take, for example, dental hygiene and cosmetics. To keep our teeth clean and looking healthy, we need to clean them and be careful about the types of food that we eat. This is a step that we need to take every single day. However, there may be some problems that regular brushing and attention to diet can not fully fix, having misaligned teeth for example. There are a few different ways to solve the problem of misaligned teeth and one of the most popular and modern ways is invisalign. Invisalign is a treatment that can be provided to patients by Clear Braces Direct in London and similarly to any other kind of self-improvement, it is also a treatment that comes in different stages. Today we’ll take a look at those different stages and how Clear Braces Direct in London can help you with comfortably and effectively delivering all of these stages.

But first, we would like to take a look at Clear Braces Direct in London specifically and why we are a great choice for any patient’s invisalign treatment – as well as many of their other dental needs. Here at Clear Braces Direct, we are extremely proud of our record of having successfully improved the smiles of over 4,800 patients. We put our success in the world of dentistry down to our staff and their extensive understanding of dentistry. For this reason, we know that every patient is different and so we strive to treat every patient with the respect and individual consideration that they deserve. Therefore, whenever you want or need an improvement to your smile, be sure to contact Clear Braces Direct in London.

The stages of Invisalign treatment in London

The first step to getting Invisalign treatment in London is to have an invisalign scan. At Clear Braces Direct we perform our invisalign scans using innovative 3D scanning technology which eliminates the need for moulds. This scan will be able to tell the patient whether or not they are suitable for the invisalign direct to patient option.

Assuming that the patient is found to be suitable, then their teeth will be scanned again at a scan centre so that specific invisalign aligners can be made for the patient’s teeth. Invisalign aligners come in a set. The patient uses each aligner in the set, switching one out for the next one in the set over a prescribed period of time. This causes teeth to be realigned into more favourable positions as time goes by.

If you are a working parent then you know how difficult it can be to maintain a work-life balance and adding in constant trips to the dentist will make it all the more difficult. At Clear Braces Direct London we understand this, which is why we offer Invisalign as an exclusive treatment at our practice, so that you can take control of your orthodontic care and fit it easily into your own life no matter how busy you become. With the extra benefit of having a monthly payment plan, you can also fit this treatment into your monthly family budget.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is an invisible clear aligner system available at Clear Braces Direct London that is used to straighten teeth and fix malocclusions. It is completely removable which has many benefits including; being able to eat all the foods you love, being easy to clean and able to fit easily into a highly professional lifestyle without interfering with image or speech.

How does it work?

At a consultation appointment for Invisalign at Clear Braces Direct London, you will be able to discuss your smile goals with your dentist and what exactly you hope to gain from orthodontic treatment as a working parent. We will take photos and X-rays of your teeth to determine whether or not you are a good candidate for this treatment. Once this has been confirmed we can take a completely painless 3D scan of your mouth and teeth, the information gathered by this technology is then uploaded into a computer where a 3D model is created of your smile. We can use this model to create a simulation of how your teeth will shift over time and show you what the results will be before treatment even begins.

Once you are happy with the plan we create for your orthodontic care we send this information off to a lab which creates your first set of clear aligners. These aligners will be sent to you in a pack and you will need to change them yourself. This can be done wherever it is most convenient for you, at home or the office and a unique app helps us keep an eye on your treatment without you having to interrupt your hectic schedule.

What can it fix?

This treatment was invented in the nineties and has come a long way since then, with Invisalign today we are able to treat crooked and overcrowded teeth, gapped teeth and even teeth whose roots have had significant movement.

There are also levels of malocclusions that we are able to take care of too like; overbite, underbite, crossbite and open bite which means that not only are we going to get your teeth straight but we will also get the top row sitting nicely above the bottom row as they should for that gorgeous Hollywood smile.

After your teeth are straight

Looking for that final element to help you close a business deal and also look great in the family Christmas photo? Then getting a whitening treatment after your Invisalign is a sure way to improve upon your new perfection.