{"id":509,"date":"2020-06-26T15:04:12","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T15:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/warsaworthodontics.com\/?p=509"},"modified":"2021-07-05T21:42:30","modified_gmt":"2021-07-05T21:42:30","slug":"invisalign-vs-smile-direct-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/warsaworthodontics.com\/invisalign-vs-smile-direct-club\/","title":{"rendered":"Invisalign vs. Smile Direct Club"},"content":{"rendered":"
Many patients who need orthodontic treatment already know that they would prefer Invisalign or a clear option to straighten their teeth. I understand why an adult or even a teenager would want to have clear trays versus metal brackets in their mouth. I was actually one of these cases. I was in college when I had braces and searched the internet for someone who did Invisalign. Unfortunately, at the time, I was not an Invisalign candidate. If you have searched for a clear aligner option, then you are likely familiar with Invisalign and Smile Direct Club. But what is the difference and what do you need to know before starting?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m going to use a patient that I saw for a consultation to illustrate. Chris came to me for a consultation and was not interested in braces at all. He also had some very nice gold restorations done by his general dentist. For certain cases, like these, Invisalign is actually my preferred method for straightening teeth. I discussed with Chris, that his bite fit together really well in the back and I didn\u2019t want to change that at all. He had more crowding with his lower teeth than his upper teeth. We would either have to do what is called IPR (inter-proximal reduction) to relieve crowding on the lower or open up spaces in the upper to relieve excessive force on his front teeth. We also discussed the height discrepancy between his two front teeth and what we could do after his Invisalign treatment was complete with his general dentist.<\/p>\n
*Note all of his back teeth are touching<\/p><\/div>\n
I didn\u2019t see Chris for about a year and a half after this appointment. Chris called back and said he saw us a couple of years ago and was concerned with the price of Invisalign. He had decided to try Smile Direct Club. He shared with us that it was a \u201cdisaster and completely messed up his bite.\u201d When I saw him again, he continued to tell me he could chew on his right side, but he does so very carefully and cannot chew hard. He brought his \u201cretainers\u201d to me but they did not fit at all. He said his retainers did not fit and when he tried to wear them, if he left them out for a period of time he could feel his teeth shifting. He said he was afraid to bite down because he thought he might break a tooth.<\/p>\n
We updated his photos and noticed several things. Are his teeth relatively straight? They are straighter than when he started, but at what cost? Functionally, his bite does not fit together anywhere. He does not know where to bite. He has gum recession present in areas where he did not have it previously. This has resulted in him having to see a periodontist for grafting of his tissue in order to correct the recession.<\/p>\n
*Note: Teeth do not fit at all in the back or front. Patient was afraid to bite down for fear of breaking a tooth. Not all rotations corrected. He now has gum recession on some teeth.<\/p><\/div>\n
Seeing an orthodontist is a lot more expensive than going to a \u201csmile shop,\u201d where there is not a doctor present to even look at your teeth. There is a reason that Smile Direct Club claims their fee is 70% less than traditional orthodontics. Let\u2019s take a look at the differences:<\/p>\n
Below are some cases I have treated\/ am treating with Invisalign. Please note, the most important thing for these patients, is they have a FUNCTIONAL bite, in ADDITION TO perfectly straight teeth.<\/p>\n
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If you are interested in Invisalign and want to know if you are a candidate, you can send your pictures through our virtual consult portal and we will be happy to let you know! Drop your photos here<\/a>. Happy Friday!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Many patients who need orthodontic treatment already know that they would prefer Invisalign or a clear option to straighten their teeth. I understand why an adult or even a teenager would want to have clear trays versus metal brackets in their mouth. I was actually one of these cases. I was in college when I…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":511,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,8,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aligner-therapy","category-invisalign","category-orthodontic-treatment"],"yoast_head":"\n