When most people think about what it takes to get beautiful, straight teeth, many picture the awkward teen years complete with shiny braces and head gear. While traditional metal braces aren’t going anywhere, the reality is there are other affordable and less noticeable options available for patients of all ages.
At Just Wright Dental, we see many adult patients who have crooked teeth that have bothered them for years. The first thing most of them tell us is that as much as they’d love to straighten their teeth, they would never consider braces to correct them. Many are surprised to learn we offer a system that will correct their teeth with the use of clear, hardly-noticeable, plastic molds.
This system, called Simpli5, uses up to five sequential clear trays for the upper, lower or both arches of the mouth to correctly align teeth. Simpli5 is best for patients with medium to mild cases of tooth crowding or spacing, or those patients who had been in braces in their younger years and have had a mild orthodontic relapse due to not wearing their retainer.
To begin the process, our staff takes a mold of the patient’s teeth needing alignment. That is sent off the Simpli5 lab where technicians ensure the severity of the patient’s correction can be performed using the trays. Once this is determined, the lab creates up to five different trays that are customized for each patient’s specific dental needs. While the amount of time each patient will need to wear each set of trays to reach the results they’re after differs, most patients will wear each set of trays for a few weeks at a time.
Once the teeth have been corrected to match the first set of trays, the patient will begin wearing the second set and continue in the manner until the patient’s teeth have been fully corrected. In addition to being minimally noticeable, the trays, which are meant to be worn day and night, can be easily removed for brushing and flossing, unlike traditional braces. These factors, plus the fact that the Simpli5 trays are often less costly than other orthodontic option, make them a great option for many of our patients.
If you’ve been bothered by a not-quite-perfect smile and you’ve thought the time for correcting it has passed you by, give our office a call and let us see if Simpli5 is right for you!