– Juno Beach, FL
Simplify the Teeth Straightening and Realignment Process
Traditional braces have been the standard for straightening teeth for decades, but they aren’t without their setbacks. For one, traditional braces use metal hardware to straighten teeth, which doesn’t exactly make your smile look like how you’d want it to. Thankfully, our dental office provides multiple clear aligner solutions that do not use any metal hardware to fix crooked teeth. SureSmile® let’s you maintain your current appearance as well as your eating and oral care habits while straightening teeth.
Who Can SureSmile Help?
SureSmile can address a variety of tooth spacing and bite issues faster and more comfortably than traditional braces. These discreet aligners are removable for oral hygiene care and meals, making it easier to protect your teeth and gums during treatment. If you’ve been considering orthodontics but have been hesitant to commit to braces, SureSmile aligners could be an excellent fit for you!
Crowded Teeth
As you age, crowding in your arches can worsen as your teeth shift. This can negatively affect your overall and oral health, increasing your risk of developing a variety of different dental conditions, including:
- Cavities/decay
- Gum disease
- Jaw discomfort or aching
- Difficulty chewing or biting
Because crowding can cause your teeth to overlap, it often creates hard-to-reach spaces in your mouth that are difficult to clean. This can easily allow bacteria, food debris, plaque, and tartar to accumulate.
SureSmile aligners can shift your teeth to lay flush, making it easier and more effective to brush and floss them, and of course having a straighter smile can boost your self-confidence, too!
Gaps Between Teeth
Having too large of spaces between your teeth can be a result of many things, including natural bone development, oral anatomy, having too small of teeth, a large jawbone, and a variety of other natural factors. They can also form due to habits like thumb-sucking and tongue-thrusting in childhood.
No matter what their cause, addressing gaps is the best solution for your oral health, as it can lower the risk of plaque and bacteria buildup, tooth decay, gum disease, and gum inflammation due to unprotected gum tissue between your teeth.
In addition to SureSmile, sometimes minor gaps can be repaired with dental bonding as needed. Your dentist can discuss this with you at your SureSmile consultation.
Overbite
An overbite (also known as an overjet) is an alignment issue which causes your top teeth to jut out too far from your lower arch of teeth. Overbites can cause jaw pain, speech problems, uneven tooth wear, and difficulties opening and closing your mouth.
Overbites can also leave the top teeth more exposed, putting them at a higher risk of becoming injured due to inadequate protection.
Underbite
An underbite is the term used to describe the alignment when your bottom teeth go slightly past or match with your top row of teeth when you close your mouth.
Underbites are typically the result of genetics, oral trauma such as jaw injury, tumors, or non-nutritive habits as a child such thumb or pacifier sucking. If left unaddressed, they can lead to a variety of problems including an increased risk of sleep apnea, mouth breathing, as well as difficulties speaking and chewing.
Underbites are most easily addressed in younger patients but are equally important to correct in adults. Generally, patients with underbites require the use of rubber bands or other attachments to be used in conjunction with your SureSmile aligners. These accessories are designed to gradually adjust your bite and pull your lower arch into its proper position.
Crossbite
A crossbite is the term used to describe when your bottom teeth are slightly in front of your upper arch. Crossbites are typically caused by genetics, poor oral habits, or premature loss of your baby teeth.
SureSmile aligners can typically fix crossbites, but if they are the result of issues involving jaw development, it may be necessary to use accessories such as elastics in combination with your aligners. These can help shift your jaw into its proper position while your bite is adjusted.
If left unaddressed, a crossbite can lead to long-term problems like an increased risk of gum disease, tooth decay, jaw pain, speech difficulties, headaches, bruxism, and facial asymmetry.
Open Bite
An open bite refers to when your top and bottom front teeth cannot overlap or touch when your mouth is closed completely.
An open bite is typically caused by poor bone development or non-nutritive habits during childhood, such as prolonged thumb or pacifier sucking.
Open bites can frequently cause difficulty pronouncing certain words and sounds, as well as excessive enamel wear on the backs of your teeth, which can increase their risk of becoming damaged.
SureSmile can help bring the top front and bottom teeth together, correcting the bite pattern and reducing your risk of dental wear and damage.
How SureSmile® Works
SureSmile® is an aligner system that uses USA-manufactured, custom-made, BPA-free, plastic trays to gently shift teeth into a straighter and more aesthetically pleasing position. The system is designed to treat a wide variety of dental issues, including crowding and rotated teeth as well as gaps. Each pair is designed to represent a specific stage of your realignment. To get results, a pair is worn for about 22 hours per day and should only be removed for eating meals or practicing routine oral hygiene. After about two weeks of wear, you’ll move onto the next pair in the series.
Once you’ve gone through every pair, you’ll wear a retainer to keep your smile straight. Treatment takes about one year to complete on average, but this can vary depending on your commitment to wearing the aligners as well as the complexity of your treatment.
Benefits of SureSmile®
Although there was once a time when traditional braces were the only reliable, safe, and effective orthodontic treatment, that’s no longer the case. If you are currently in the process of deciding which one is best for you, then keep reading to learn a few of the many noteworthy benefits of SureSmile®!
Easy Dental Care
SureSmile®’s aligners are fully removable, meaning you don’t have to change your current habits just to complete treatment safely. You don’t have to buy special oral hygiene products either! Simply rinse the aligners each time you take them off, allow them to soak in an appropriate cleaning solution every day for 15 minutes or so, and brush away residual food debris and plaque as needed with a damp, soft-bristled toothbrush.
Discreet Trays
Simply put, traditional braces can make public events and social gatherings more difficult. That’s not the case with SureSmile®. Since the aligners are completely transparent, no one will know that you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment. So, you can see why they are so popular among working professionals and image-conscious teens!
Minimally Invasive
Another considerable perk: SureSmile®’s aligners are minimally invasive. There’s no need to remove existing teeth and no risk of metal hardware damaging enamel or gum tissue. If an aligner breaks, replacing it is simple, straightforward, and doesn’t require an emergency visit to the dentist. Just make sure to revert back to a previous pair or move on to the next pair to avoid hiccups in your treatment.
Improved Comfort
Having metal-free braces is undoubtedly more aesthetically pleasing. There is another benefit that patients often don’t consider: metal-free braces are also considerably more comfortable. In other words, you won’t have to deal with mouth sores from brackets or soft tissue irritation from protruding wires. The aligners are crafted from smooth plastic that perfectly fits the contours of your mouth.
No Dietary Restrictions
To reduce the chances of an orthodontic emergency, patients with traditional braces are instructed not to eat crunchy and sticky foods, including whole apples, raw celery, and hard pretzels. Since SureSmile® aligners are removable, patients don’t have to deal with the same dietary restrictions. In fact, as long as they stick to healthy, well-balanced meals the majority of the time, they can eat all of their favorites!
Less Time in the Treatment Chair
Keeping your teeth moving with traditional braces requires monthly adjustment appointments. SureSmile®, however, moves teeth into proper alignment with a series of clear, custom-made aligners. Since you can progress through several sets of trays from the comfort of your own home, you’ll spend considerably less time in the treatment chair. In fact, patients usually only need to come in for progress visits every 6-8 weeks.
Candidates for SureSmile®
Those who have mild to moderate levels of misalignment or gaps in their smile are likely candidates for SureSmile®. Keep in mind that candidates must have good oral health before beginning treatment. If tooth decay or gum disease is present, this will need to be treated first. The best way to know if SureSmile® or another clear aligner system is right for you is to schedule a SureSmile® consultation. During this meeting, either Dr. Greg Riley or Dr. Duane Keuning will go over your options and carefully examine your unique case. Contact our dental office and get started transforming your smile today!