Clear Aligners Idaho Falls

Wearing Your Trays

Of course, one of the biggest differences in your day-to-day life will be wearing your aligners. To stay on track with your treatment plan, you need to keep them on for a minimum of 20 hours a day. Fortunately, that’s pretty easy because they are crafted from smooth, see-through plastic, which makes them both basically invisible and quite comfortable.

Cleaning Your Aligners

The last thing you want is for noticeable, yellow stains to develop on the surface of your aligners. The good news is that you can prevent that from happening by incorporating a few simple habits into your routine, including rinsing them with clean water each time you take them off. Then, before you put them back on, use clear, mild dishwashing liquid and a damp, soft-bristled toothbrush to clean them.

Tip: Always use cool or room-temperature water to clean your aligners so the plastic doesn’t warp.

Eating & Drinking

One of the many perks of clear aligners is that they are removable. As a result, you don’t need to abide by a long list of dietary restrictions. You do, however, need to take them off before eating or drinking anything other than water. Outside of that, all we ask is that you focus on getting the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients your body needs to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Losing or Damaging a Tray

If you accidentally lose or damage your aligners, it’s important that you act fast. First, call our team at Discover Family Dental. Over the phone, we will take a look at your treatment plan and decide if it’s safe for you to move on to the next set in the series a little earlier than anticipated. If it’s not, then we will ask you to wear the previous set while we have a replacement made.

Tip: Anytime you take your trays off, place them in their designated case! This will reduce the likelihood of them accidentally getting lost or broken.

Attending Progress Visits

In addition to coming to our office every six months for a checkup and cleaning, you need to visit us for progress visits. These typically occur every 6-8 weeks, and they are usually less than 30 minutes each time. So, whether you’re a parent with a jampacked schedule or you’re a student with a busy semester ahead, you don’t have to worry – your calendar won’t be overloaded with dental appointments.

Subtle Treatment 

Wearing clear aligners doesn’t require hours spent in the treatment chair having metal brackets bonded to the surfaces of your teeth. Instead, they are crafted in a laboratory and worn discreetly for 20-22 hours each day. Their removability makes them a preferred orthodontic solution because of how easy it is to remove them to eat and/or speak, making them a subtle form of treatment.

Comfort-Based Aligners

Clear aligners contain no protruding brackets that rub against soft oral tissues. Instead, they are smooth, making them a comfortable orthodontic solution. While wearing your trays, you will appreciate the lack of irritation that would otherwise require orthodontic wax to treat. Your gums, cheeks, lips, and tongue will avoid damage over time, allowing you to enjoy your time spent wearing clear aligners.

More Efficient Follow-Ups

Traditional braces require multiple follow-up appointments so that a dentist can tighten or replace the archwire; however, clear aligner treatment requires fewer appointments. Also, these visits are more efficient because there is no wire to tighten. Instead, our team will review the progress of your shifting smile to make sure everything is on the right track.

Long-Term Oral Health

Your oral hygiene routine is simple while wearing clear aligners. Instead of trying to navigate around bulky metal brackets and wires, you can remove your trays and clean them using a soft-bristle toothbrush, clear soap, and lukewarm water. This removes dried saliva, bacteria, and all other particles successfully. It also ensures your smile remains healthy, as long as you commit to caring for your teeth and gums, too.

Boosted Self-Esteem

During and after treatment, you can expect to experience greater self-esteem because of clear aligner treatment. This is one of the greatest benefits of clear aligners – they remain discreet, so you can embrace boosted confidence no matter who you are around each day. As time passes, you’ll become even more excited about the future results because you’ll continue to see your teeth shift in the right direction.

Discreet Aligners

Clear aligners are designed to be discreet, so no one ever needs to know about your treatment. The clear plastic offers a virtually invisible appearance, making it possible to pursue a straighter smile without hindering your daily appearance.

Crowded Teeth

Do your teeth crowd together to the point that they overlap? Unfortunately, the unique crevices that form can harbor food particles, plaque, and other debris, increasing your risk of tooth decay and other common oral health problems in the process. That’s why it’s so important to explore your orthodontic treatment options, including clear aligners! If you’re a candidate, then we can guide your teeth into their ideal positions, improving the look and health of your smile in the process.

Gaps Between Teeth

Maybe you’re dealing with the opposite problem (there is so much room in your mouth that there are gaps between your teeth). Unfortunately, the outcome is often the same: low self-esteem, an increased risk of gum disease, and trouble enunciating clearly. There is good news, though: clear aligners are usually an option for patients with mild to moderate cases. So, don’t just assume your only path forward involves metal brackets and wires!

Overbite

When you bite down, do your upper teeth extend beyond the lower ones more than they should? If so, you may have an overbite. Unfortunately, even relatively minor cases of this bite problem can lead to several issues, including trouble enunciating clearly. For this reason, we recommend exploring your treatment options sooner rather than later. If clear aligners are one of them, then we can guide your teeth and bite into their ideal positions without any metal at all.

Underbite

If your lower teeth sit in front of your upper ones, then you may have an underbite. Like the other orthodontic problems on this list, it can negatively impact the look and health of your smile as well as your chewing and speaking patterns. So, don’t take the “wait and see” approach. Instead, schedule a consultation with us so we can assess the complexity of your case and determine if clear aligners are the ideal solution.

Crossbite

Do only some of your upper teeth sit behind your lower ones? If so, you might have a crossbite, which is an orthodontic problem that can lead to chronic jaw pain, TMJ dysfunction, and premature wear and tear on your teeth. If you’re wondering if clear aligners can fix crossbites, you’ll be happy to hear that the answer is often “yes.” To find out if that’s the case for you, schedule an appointment with Dr. Jenkins!

Open Bite

Some patients have an open bite, which is when the upper and lower teeth can’t meet when they bite down. One of our biggest concerns with this orthodontic problem is dental damage due to the uneven pressure. If you think you may have an open bite, take the next step: schedule a consultation with us. That way, we can determine if clear aligners are the solution!

Factors That Affect the Cost of Clear Aligners

As we mentioned above, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all price because there isn’t a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. In order to create yours, we first need to determine:

• If any preliminary treatments are needed, like a tooth-colored filling
• How severe your case of misalignment is
• If single-arch treatment is possible
• How many aligners need to be made
• The type of retainer that’s needed to preserve your results

With all of this information, we can solidify the details and provide you with an estimate of the cost. We can also share what you can do to avoid additional fees down the line, like placing your aligners in their designated case when you aren’t wearing them (this will lower the risk of them accidentally getting damaged or misplaced).

Professional Clear Aligners vs. Mail-In Aligners: Which Costs More?

Have you seen ads on social media for mail-in aligners? If so, you know that much of their messaging focuses on how cheap they are. What they don’t mention, however, is how they can offer such a low upfront cost. In addition to often skipping the initial exam, they typically rely on DIY impressions and don’t have licensed dental professionals overseeing the treatment process. While this does cut costs initially, many patients experience worsened misalignment and dental damage, which are expensive to address. That’s why it’s always best to choose a safe, reliable, and proven clear aligner treatment, like the one we offer at our Idaho Falls dental office.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Clear Aligners?

In addition to covering a portion of the cost of essential preventive and restorative treatments, some dental insurance providers include a once-in-a-lifetime orthodontic benefit. So, if you’re wondering if your dental insurance provider will cover the cost of clear aligners, the answer may be “yes!” The easiest way to find out is by reading through the fine print on your plan. Since we are in-network with the majority of insurance plans, you can also provide us with your membership information when you call to schedule your consultation. We’ll take it from there!

Options for Making Clear Aligners Affordable

Don’t have dental insurance? That’s okay – that’s not the only way to make the cost of clear aligner treatment more affordable. With trusted third-party financiers like Cherry and CareCredit, you can break up the cost into smaller, more manageable chunks instead of having to pay for your entire teeth-straightening treatment in one large payment.