Category: Straighten Teeth at Home

In the last couple of years, people have become used to doing things at home. Due of course to the pandemic of 2020 and government guidelines.

But these restrictions created frustration for people who were looking to undertake orthodontic treatment. Surely moving your teeth could only be done with dental appointments and the tightening of braces?

Thanks to the ease of use that accompanies invisible aligners, it is now possible to use these tools in the comfort of your own home. With the help of our dental team of course!

At Clear Braces Direct, we have specialised in using clear aligners to help patients get the smiles that they want and deserve. We are now able to offer straight teeth at home London to our patients who are suitable for using aligners like Invisalign. So if you want a straighter smile without the inconvenience of multiple dental appointments, contact us to see if this could be the treatment for you.

As this is quite a new idea, we have been asked many questions by patients about obtaining straight teeth at home London. Here, we endeavour to answer the most commonly asked that we receive.

Is the treatment different to using aligners in a dental surgery?

Talking about using aligners in a dental surgery is misleading; the majority of the work relating to the use of aligners takes place in the home with the patient switching between aligners every two weeks or so. Therefore, it is easy to get straight teeth at home London using aligners without the treatment being excessively different from how it would be in any other setting.

How long will it take?

Many factors will influence how long you will need to wear your invisible aligners. Generally speaking, the average treatment time is between 3 to 6 months, but this will involve you needing to wear your aligners for 22 hours per day or as recommended by our team. To give you a more accurate prediction of how long your treatment will be, you will need to attend an initial consultation where we can assess your clinical case and can offer guidance relating to time periods.

What should I do if there is an issue?

There can be issues when you are wearing clear aligners and luckily, our team is just at the end of a phone should there be a problem. However, you can also report potential hiccoughs to us via the associated app which comes with this aligner. The app allows you to get in contact with us quickly with photographic evidence of potential problems, minimising the need for dental trips.

Will I have to attend check-ups?

You will only need to attend check-ups with our team if there is a problem with the realignment process. This can be determined by our team weekly when you send off your selfie which will highlight the movement of your teeth via the app.

Will it cost more?

Generally speaking, invisible aligners do not cost more than fitted braces and Invisalign is one of the most cost-effective options for adult patients. This is due in part to its quick treatment time and its lack of clinical appointments.

Curious about getting straighter teeth using Invisalign?

At Clear Braces Direct, we can offer our patients straight teeth at home London using Invisalign and can support you at every step of the way too. Great!

In this article, our team at Clear Braces Direct answers the most common queries we receive from patients who want to get straight teeth at home London. So enjoy!

Do the aligners work?

Of course, they do!

At Clear Braces Direct, we know what we are doing when it comes to using Invisalign, and can assure you that this aligner can get you straight teeth at home London, with all the added discretion and ease you want.

How long will I need to wear them?

The course of your treatment with Invisalign may take anywhere between 3-12 months, depending on the severity of the misalignment being corrected.

Per day, our team will advise you on how long they need to be worn but you should aim to keep them in for around 22 hours per day.

How often will I need to see you?

As is the way with Invisalign aligners, you will not need to have them tightened or straightened. And so, there will be fewer visits to see us and of course, as this treatment is home-based, we intend to only call you into the surgery when necessary.

We aim to keep our patients at a distance; it’s not that we don’t want to see you, it is simply that we shouldn’t need to! You will be required to send us weekly updates of your smile via the Invisalign app, and we will send you instructions using this method too. But we don’t want to encroach on your life unless needed, so hopefully, we will only see you a few times in surgery throughout this treatment.

Are there any downsides to this option?

You may have heard rumours online that having your teeth straightened at home is riddled with complications.

And that it can lead to irregularities with your teeth alignment due to poorly taken dental moulds or a lack of input from the dental team. Luckily, this is not the case when you choose Clear Braces Direct to undertake your dental realignment.

We will be in contact with you every step of the way; you will be able to contact us either by phone, email or using the Invisalign app. Using this app, you will need to send us weekly selfies of your smile, so we can assess how the treatment is progressing.

And of course, we will need to see you for an initial assessment, during which we will use an intraoral scanner to take an image of the inside of your mouth, so no need to worry about dental moulds causing problems! We take care of everything!

Is it pricey?

Money doesn’t grow on trees, and with any kind of cosmetic dental care, you will want to know that it is money well spent.

With Clear Braces Direct, we offer you many options to pay for this treatment, including financing, so you can spread the cost of the treatment over many months without draining your savings. If this sounds like an option you would be interested in, please contact our team for more information today!

Have you heard a story about invisible aligners gone wrong? Something along the lines of it was put into someone’s mouth and then their teeth failed to move as needed, or at all?

Such horror stories are not uncommon online. And, if you are looking into using invisible aligners to straighten your smile, this is not the kind of article you want to read.

Luckily, our team has produced the following article, which debunks some of these stories, to help you understand what is fact and what is fiction with invisible aligners like Invisalign.

At Clear Braces Direct, our speciality is invisible aligners like Invisalign, and we are always eager to offer our patients straight teeth at home London when possible. We know the truth about using Invisalign at home and can assuage any concerns that you may have about the process.

So, here, our team looks at some of the most common misconceptions about trying to get straight teeth at home London. So, enjoy!

It doesn’t work

Many patients have genuine concerns when it comes to moving their teeth, especially concerning moving them with Invisalign as they may have heard that the treatment simply doesn’t work and that you cannot achieve straight teeth at home London.

Invisible aligners have been in use for around 10 years and, in that time, they have achieved 99% effectiveness in the cases they have been used in. Ergo, we can promise you that they not only work, but they work well.

All at-home aligners are the same

No, they aren’t; the aligners we use, like Invisalign, have a great track record of straightening teeth and as they are custom-fitted in surgery using an intraoral scanner, they are one of the most effective aligners to use overall.

You are left to your own devices

No, you aren’t! When you come to Clear braces Direct, we will oversee your care when you are using Invisalign via the app, which will help us to stay in touch and offer advice as and when needed.

You certainly won’t be left on your own when using Invisalign with our team, so don’t worry!

The process is long-winded

One of the reasons many providers of invisible aligners began offering their patients at-home options was because it made very little difference to the process if it occurred at home or via dental surgery.

But no, the process is no more long-winded than it would be normally, and depending on the severity of your misalignment, you can expect the process to take between 3-6 months.

The results don’t last

There is a prevalent myth that if you get straighter teeth in your own home, once the aligners are off, your teeth will simply fall back into misalignment. Of course, this is not the case, or else our company would not still be operating!

When you have finished using Invisalign, you will need to wear a retainer for a while, to ensure that your teeth do not revert to their former positions. If you do not wear the retainer, you will not be able to maintain the results obtained from this treatment, but this will not be due to an issue with the aligner.

There is much to be said for doing things in your own home, especially since 2020.

So, if you want to use an aligner at home to straighten your teeth, you may be curious as to what this entails. Do you have to attend check-ups? What happens if you think there is a problem with the aligner? These questions are rarely clear to those new to the world of invisible aligners like Invisalign.

At Clear Braces Direct, our team will guide you in the use of invisible aligners at home and will help you to get straight teeth at home London with as little inconvenience as possible.

And while your experience may vary slightly, in the following article, our team discusses the steps required to get straight teeth at home London when you choose clear braces. Enjoy!

Assessment

First things first, when you want to get straight teeth at home London, you will need to have an assessment with our team to ensure that using Invisalign would be beneficial for you.

In most cases, it is. You simply need to have a mild to moderate case of dental misalignment on the front teeth in your mouth for this aligner to work.

If we deem that you are suitable for using Invisalign, we will use an intraoral scanner to capture an image of your teeth, from which to create the aligners.

Aligner printing

The world has changed dramatically since the invention of 3D printers and when it comes to Invisalign, this is no exception.

Using a computer program known as ClinCheck, our associates will predict the movement needed to move your teeth into their desired positions. Once this has been completed, the aligners can be printed and sent back to either our surgery or straight to your home.

Wearing the aligners

The aligners will come in a set of around 12-14 and will need to be worn in a specific order to move your teeth.

Each aligner will need to be worn for around 2 weeks at a time. To keep your aligners clear, you will need to clean them using either a cold water tap, Invisalign cleaning crystals or a similar product. Do not use hot water to clean your aligners and do not use mouthwash, as this can stain the aligners.

Check-ups

OK, so this is a treatment that can be primarily undertaken at home, so you will not need to attend our surgery unless requested.

But we will need to see images of your teeth via the Invisalign app, which will need to be sent once a week, so this kind of counts as a check-up!

If we spot anything that we are not happy with when we assess these photos, we will respond via the app with either instructions or with an invitation to attend the surgery.

Compliance!

We know it is tempting to take these aligners out and leave them out for extended periods, especially if you have been suffering from discomfort with them. But for this treatment to work, the aligners need to be worn for a minimum of 22 hours per day so please, keep them in!

Smartphones and the associated apps have changed the way that many people operate,  alongside how many services operate too.

But when Invisalign was first created, it was only a matter of time until this invisible aligner made its way into the world of apps and was incorporated into the at-home dental treatments that are offered by many dental surgeries.

And of course, this is due to its simplicity and lifestyle-friendly nature.

At Clear Braces Direct, we are happy to be able to offer suitable patients the luxury of getting straight teeth at home London. This service involves the use of the downloadable Invisalign app, the taking of selfies and of course, an initial visit to our dental team. Overall it is more lifestyle friendly.

But you may have read online that getting straight teeth at home London is fraught with complications and doesn’t work as well as a traditional brace or aligner that is used in a dental surgery. Here, our team explores common myths surrounding at-home aligners to help you see the truth about this ever-growing popular treatment.

nvisalign at home doesn’t work

In short, Invisalign does work when it comes to getting straight teeth at home London.

The ease of use with the aligner makes it ideal for patients to use in the comfort of their own home, with simple devices and minimal intervention from a dentist or orthodontist. It doesn’t require tightening, cleaning or adjusting and so, the instructions on how to use it effectively can simply be transferred to the patient using a smartphone app.

And the results speak for themselves! So yes, Invisalign does work when used correctly at home.

It takes longer without trips to the dentist

The average treatment time for Invisalign, either used at home or in surgery, is between 3 to 6  months for most patients and this does not alter, irrespective of the environment, if the aligner is used correctly.

Your time wearing the aligner may be slightly longer, but this will always be due to the severity of the condition being treated, and if you have concerns that your treatment is taking longer than predicted, please contact our team.

You cannot correct any problems in the use of an at-home aligner!

Of course, you can do something if you suspect an issue with your aligner at home!

Simply call our team directly or via the app to ask for advice from a member of our team. The app also has an FAQ section that may be able to help you when you are using your aligner

If you lose a retainer, it can be expensive to order a new one

It is not expensive to order a new aligner if you have lost one or damaged one, and at Clear Braces Direct, we can offer you additional protection against the loss or damage of aligners for a reasonable price per month.

The treatment is more expensive than it would be in a surgery

No, it is not, and one of the reasons why orthodontic care in adult years is so expensive for many is because it often requires numerous trips to an orthodontist or dentist.

As this need is removed with Invisalign at home, the cost may be lower than you think.

Thanks to the use of apps on smartphones and 3D printers, it is now possible for you to get the straighter smile you want in the comfort of your own home.

While this was common in the years leading up to 2020, the global pandemic has somewhat pushed the use of at-home aligners into overdrive with more people seeking this treatment, as it minimises contact with other people and adheres to social guidelines set down by the government.

And although our team at Clear Braces Direct was offering this service before 2020, we have noticed an upsurge in demand for our services.

At Clear Braces Direct, we are proud to be able to offer our patients straight teeth at home London with the use of Invisalign aligners, an app and selfies. Our expertise revolves around invisible aligners and we can advise you on each step of the treatment and your suitability without any obligation from you.

But you may have some questions about how you will get straight teeth at home London and about the Invisalign process overall. Here, our team offers you answers to some of the most common questions that we are asked in our surgery.

Do I need to take a mould of my teeth?

In a word no.

To get straight teeth at home London, you do not need to take a mould of your teeth and one will not be sent to you when you come to Clear Braces Direct for this treatment.

We will instead invite you to one of our surgeries and our team will use an intraoral scanner to take a scan of your teeth to begin treatment. This procedure is non-invasive and only takes a few seconds and the images that we obtain will be uploaded to our computer for future reference.

Will the aligners be sent to my door?

In most cases, we will aim to send the aligners to your door, unless we have some concerns that there may be an issue with suitability. In this instance, we may need to call you into the surgery so we can assess how well the aligners fit.

But generally speaking, once we have had your teeth scanned, there may be a waiting period of up to 4 weeks for the aligners to arrive at your door. This may vary depending on government guidelines and restrictions that may be in place at the dental laboratory.

What do I do if I need help?

Invisalign treatment comes along with an app for your smartphone, so if you need help you can contact our team via the app or you can simply call us at the surgery.

The app also features an FAQ section which, hopefully, will have all the information you need about the aligner. But if you are not sure, just give us a call and we will do our best to help you!

Will I need to visit the surgery?

Unless we determine that you need to visit us through the use of the app and the weekly selfies that you send to us, your only trip to the surgery will be required at the beginning of your treatment. And potentially once again at the end to have you fitted for a retainer.

There has been a lot of hype in recent years surrounding the use of clear aligners in the treatment of teenage and adult orthodontic issues.

But due in part to the ongoing complications surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, more dental companies and clinics are eager to offer patients treatment with invisible aligners in their own homes where possible.

 And this is where our company has made a true name for itself.

At Clear Braces Direct, we can offer straight teeth at home London using the world-famous aligner Invisalign. We will aim to keep as much of your treatment behind closed doors as possible, allowing you to get on with your life and of course, maintain government guidelines relating to COVID-19.

But how exactly does using Invisalign in the comfort of your home work? Are straight teeth at home London less likely due to a lack of appointments with a dentist or orthodontist?  Read on to find out!

First consultation

If you want to get straight teeth at home London, the first step will involve a visit to our surgery.

During this visit, our team will use one of our high-tech intraoral scanners to take an image of your teeth. We will also assess suitability at this appointment, as Invisalign is better suited to people who have mild to moderate cases of dental misalignment.

If all goes well, we will send the images taken with an intraoral scanner to a dental laboratory and your aligners will be printed.

Aligners arrive

Our team will aim to have your set of aligners sent directly to your door. And then the treatment begins!

Typically, there will be around 14 aligners in a set and they will need to be worn in the order given to ensure that your teeth move correctly. It is common for the aligners to feel tight when they are first placed in your mouth. This is because they are retaining the pressure needed to move your teeth designed into their shape.

If you are finding it hard to place your aligners correctly, then please contact our team and we will aim to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Daily wear

In your daily life with your new aligners, you will need to wear them for around 22 hours per day to get the most out of them.

It is advised that you remove the aligners to brush your teeth and eat food, or to consume any drinks that are not cool water. To keep your aligners clean, simply rinse them under a cool tap.

The app

Invisalign comes with an app that allows you to send weekly selfies to our team, so we can ascertain how your treatment is progressing.

If we determine that there is any problem, we will send you instructions via the app or call you in for an assessment. If your treatment is progressing nicely then we will give you a metaphorical thumbs up via the app too!

Retaining results!

As is the way with all orthodontic procedures, once your treatment with Invisalign is complete, you will need to wear a retainer for a set time.

This is typically done after the treatment has finished and is designed to prevent your teeth from reverting to their former positions.

If you have had enough of owning misaligned teeth, it is likely that you have been on the internet searching for ways to straighten them quickly and efficiently. And thanks to the recent upsurge in dental patients seeking aligners that they can use at home, you have probably encountered one or two articles or even videos surrounding this area of dental care.

And as is the way with the internet, it is also likely that you have come across one or two myths or mistruths about the use of at-home aligners.

At Clear Braces Direct, we believe that if you can get straight teeth at home London then this should be a priority. Hence you can maintain your lifestyle, spend less money and enjoy all of the perks that come with straightening your teeth at home as opposed to having to attend dental clinics every few weeks. Brilliant!

So if you are seeking to get straight teeth at home London using an aligner, what are some of the myths or mistruths that you should ignore? Below are some of the most common ones that our team have heard and wish to debunk.

Traditional braces work faster

When it comes to straight teeth at home London, our team will offer an invisible aligner such as Invisalign as the first option.

And many people believe that this aligner will take longer than traditional braces to straighten their teeth. As an adult, you can expect to wear your invisible aligner for 3 to 6 months, depending on the severity of the orthodontic issue being corrected. A traditional brace, however, can take up to 3 years to straighten teeth. So aligners are clearly the faster option.

At-home aligners aren’t safe

You may have concerns that at-home aligners simply aren’t safe to use.

But rest assured, when you come to Clear Braces Direct our team will always be on hand to support you with the use of your aligners, to answer any questions you may have about the aligners and to oversee the treatment from a distance.

So, no, clear aligners used at home are completely safe overseen by us and if you have concerns simply give us a call!

They are too expensive

Orthodontics in adult years can be pricey, but the higher price is usually linked to the number of visits to the dental surgery, the time of the orthodontist and the adjustments being made to the brace.

With invisible aligners at home, your trips to our surgery are minimal, you do not need lots of visits to an orthodontist and the aligner does not require adjusting. Therefore, the treatment may be more affordable than you think!

They are uncomfortable

Due to the way invisible aligners work, they do not require any tightening or tweaking and therefore, may be considered more comfortable for many patients, especially when compared to braces.

So, while we cannot promise that they will be completely comfortable for you to wear, it is almost certain that they will be more comfortable in daily life than other traditional orthodontic tools.

If you are one of the many adults who are not happy with the appearance of their smile, you have probably searched online for a solution. And thanks, in part, to the recent global pandemic, it is likely that you have come across adverts for at-home aligners or braces.

And you may have thought that the entire thing sounds too good to be true.

In years gone by, the only way to straighten your teeth as an adult typically involved lengthy trips to your dentist and very obvious braces.

But this is no longer the case and you may be wondering what the catch is.

At Clear Braces Direct we believe that achieving straight teeth at home London should be offered to all patients when possible and seek to offer patients at-home aligners to create a more lifestyle-friendly alternative to traditional braces, while being physically discreet and practical too.

But what are some of the key advantages that accompany getting straight teeth at home London using an invisible aligner like Invisalign? Read on to find out.

Convenience

The most obvious advantage of getting straight teeth at home London is the convenience. The aligners that are sent to you from our team are easy to use, do not require tightening or adjusting and come with an app for your smartphone if you have any questions.

Therefore, trips to our team are minimised, allowing you to get on with your life incurring little interruption.

Lifestyle friendly

When most people think of braces in adult years or even teenager years, they picture having to give up their favourite foods or having to brush aligners or braces extensively to keep them clean.

The clear aligners that we offer do not require such excessive care and you simply take them out to enjoy your favourite foods and drinks, making them more lifestyle friendly. Their visual discretion also makes them suitable for people who have jobs where they are required to talk and do not want their speech altered.

More affordable

Concerning costs, many patients worry that treatment with invisible aligners will be more expensive than treatment with traditional braces.

But costs associated with orthodontic care are usually higher for people who have extensive orthodontic issues. In short, if you require more appointments with your dentist or orthodontist to have your teeth straightened, then this is added to the overall cost of the treatment and can drive the price up.

But with at-home aligners, your trips to the surgery are minimised, thus keeping the price down.

Safer

In recent times, it has been important for health and safety to keep your distance relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. And this is one of the factors behind why at-home aligners are becoming more popular. They allow you to straighten your teeth whilst also keeping you safe and away from environments where you could potentially pick up the virus, and allow you to keep your distance from other people too.

Faster

And finally, a key advantage of at-home aligners is that they are fast. The average treatment time for invisible aligners is typically between 3 to 6 months depending on the severity of the issue being treated.

In recent times, thanks in part to the pandemic, more and more people are seeking to do things from home.

And, unsurprisingly, this has extended to the use of invisible aligners which can be delivered straight to your door.

If you have concerns that this treatment is not suitable for you, or that it is dangerous, do not be alarmed; we can assure you that under the supervision of a trained dentist or orthodontist, straightening your teeth at home is perfectly safe and is easier to fit into a busy lifestyle.

At Clear Braces Direct we can offer straight teeth at home London and have been doing so for many years. We have overseen the realignment process of thousands of patients remotely and are more than happy to discuss with you whether you are suitable for this treatment option.

But you may be curious to know if getting straight teeth at home London is right for you. You may also be curious to learn if it is different from having your teeth straightened in a clinic. In the following FAQ section, we hope to answer these questions and many more that we have received about this type of treatment.

Am I suitable?

A key question we receive about getting straight teeth at home London from patients is suitability; how do we assess suitability and can the invisible aligners that we provide correct all dental misalignments?

Provided you have a mild to moderate misalignment and have good overall dental health, then it is highly likely that you will be able to use an invisible aligner.

It is worth noting that for more severe cases of dental misalignment, such as those involving molars or the rotation of teeth, you will need to speak to an orthodontist about realignment options, as invisible aligners are not able to correct these issues.

How long will the treatment take?

Each day, you will need to wear the aligners provided for around 22 hours. Depending on the severity of the dental misalignment being treated, the process can take anywhere from 3 to 9 months, with some patients needing a little bit longer.

But each case is unique and following a consultation with our team, we will be able to provide a better timeline for your case.

What if I need a replacement aligner?

As aligners are removable, they do have a habit of becoming damaged or lost! It is part of life!

But if you lose your aligner, this can create panic as your treatment will have to stop temporarily.  However, if you do lose an aligner or you damage one, simply contact our team and we will be able to send a replacement aligner directly to your door. In the meantime, we may advise you to use the previous aligner in the sequence to keep your teeth in a similar position and to prevent reversion.

I’m worried the aligners aren’t working; what should I do?

If you have concerns that your aligners are not working please contact our team. As part of the at-home treatment, we recommend that our patients send us weekly selfies so we can determine how well the aligners are working. But if you have concerns that your teeth are not moving correctly, feel free to contact us.