Everything You Need to Know About Clear Aligners

If you have crooked teeth, you’re at higher risk for dental complications such as gingivitis, tooth decay, or deep dental infections. These complications threaten both your oral and overall health, and are important to prevent. 

In the past, the only solution to straighten teeth was conventional wire-and-bracket braces, but now clear aligner systems such as Invisalign® and SparkTM Clear Aligners have come to the rescue. Clear aligners provide the same benefits as braces, without the fixed metal. 

At Proud to Smile Dentistry in Bernardsville, New Jersey, Patricia Swaintek-Lamb, DMD and our dental team know how essential your smile is for your confidence and your health. That’s why we provide clear aligners to help set your smile straight. 

If you want to learn more about clear aligners and how to get the smile of your dreams, you’re in the right place. Take a moment to learn about Invisalign and Spark Clear Aligners now. 

Why tooth and bite alignment matters

It may seem that teeth straightening is a purely aesthetic procedure, but having good alignment is essential to dental health. Let’s get into the reasons why proper tooth alignment matters.

When teeth aren’t aligned properly, they create crevices, corners, and pockets that can be hard to keep clean. This allows bacteria to take hold and cause decay, leading to the erosion of your dental structures. Your risk for bad breath, minor cavities, major decay, gum infection, and other dental issues increases. 

Misaligned teeth affect your bite and result in uneven wear across your bite surfaces. This leads to a higher risk of injury to your gums and gum disease, as well as an increased risk of tooth damage such as cracking, breaking, chipping, and tooth loss. 

Temporomandibular disorder, referred to as TMJ or TMD, can also develop when your teeth don’t line up as they should. This condition can cause pain and trouble chewing and eating. Crooked bites can lead to teeth clenching or grinding, and may lead to a higher risk of having a dental emergency.

All about Invisalign clear aligners

Most people know that Invisalign clear aligners are removable and free from metal, a key feature that makes Invisalign so easy to fit into your lifestyle. But there are some other great benefits of Invisalign that you probably didn’t know. 

Invisalign is made from SmartTrack® material, a stiff yet highly-elastic material that makes your clear retainer comfortable while still applying a gentle but constant force on your teeth to move them to the right location. This technology helps straighten your teeth 50% faster than traditional braces. 

Invisalign also provides SmartForce® attachments for troublesome teeth, eliminating the need for painful and unsightly rubber bands. These minuscule attachments help the aligners put the right amount of pressure on troublesome teeth to help straighten them out. 

The iTero Element® scanner from Invisalign allows your Proud to Smile Dentistry provider to create instant 3D images of your teeth, ensuring a precise fit for the best results. This technology, combined with data from over 7 million Invisalign users improves the teeth straightening algorithm to help you attain straighter teeth and a perfect smile as quickly and comfortably as possible.

All about Spark Clear clear aligners

Many of the benefits of Invisalign are true for Clear teeth aligners from Spark, too! The TruGEN™ material used to make these aligners helps keep them comfortable, clear, and stain-resistant. 

For additional comfort, Spark Clear aligners have smooth, scalloped edges, and their material is free from BPA, mercury, latex, and phthalate. 

Based on your specific circumstances and dental needs, we can offer you TruGEN aligners that make better contact with your teeth to provide more advanced and sustained force retention. This can make your treatment more effective and efficient. 

If you’d like to learn more about orthodontic treatment with clear aligners, Dr. Swaintek-Lamb and our team at Proud to Smile Dentistry in Bernardsville, New Jersey, can help. Give us a call today, or book an appointment online any time.