What You Need to Know About Home Delivered Aligners
- May 20, 2019
- 2 min read
- Invisalign
You may have seen ads for at-home aligner treatments. They promise lower cost, fast results, and zero in-person orthodontist visits. Sounds great, right? It can be incredibly tempting to go this route to achieve a perfect smile. We’re going to break down why this alluring offer isn’t a great idea, and what benefits an orthodontist office can offer you that these companies can’t.
The idea behind these companies is no in-office visits: you can undergo aligner “therapy” right at home, and communicate with an assigned dentist/orthodontist remotely. First, they mail you a kit to take an impression of your teeth, you send some photos in, and an orthodontist reviews your case and develops your treatment plan from there. You don’t have to go to an office every month or so. However, there’s a good reason why orthodontist offices require in-office visits and regular checkups: They can offer you personalized, crucial advice during your treatment that remote orthodontists simply can’t offer. Patients are more likely to be honest with their orthodontist when they have a relationship with them, and they’re consistently chatting with them in-person. Orthodontists are also better able to understand how your teeth are reacting to treatment in-person and prescribe refinement scans if necessary.
Oftentimes, orthodontists will order additional sets of refinement trays to make sure the patient’s smile is as perfect as possible. With home delivered aligners, what you get is what you get. While you might pay a fraction of the price, you don’t have the opportunity to speak directly to a doctor and have your bite properly evaluated for ideal function. Thus, your final result may not be the absolute best it can be. You don’t have to worry about that with an in-office orthodontist. We’ll make sure your smile is healthy and beautiful.
