Straighten Teeth With Alternatives to Traditional Braces

Crooked, misaligned teeth can negatively impact both your smile and your dental health. Aesthetically, they can be distracting, displeasing, and embarrassing. From a health perspective, they can affect dental hygiene, be prone to cavities, wear out more quickly, and interfere with bite function. Speaking and eating can even be adversely affected by teeth misalignment.

Braces have long dominated the realm of orthodontic teeth straightening treatments, but new technology has developed alternative treatments that can straighten teeth without unsightly wires and uncomfortable brackets. Smile Shapers, ClearCorrect™ and Invisalign® are traditional brace alternatives that can restore your smile by straightening and realigning your teeth through a comfortable, aesthetically appealing treatment.

Candidates

INTERIOR_Modules Invisalign® and ClearCorrect™Patients desiring this treatment have crooked or misaligned teeth, possibly with gaps, crowding, and bite issues. Our team offers Smile Shapers, ClearCorrect™, and Invisalign® as alternatives to braces so that patients can receive teeth straightening treatment without sacrificing aesthetics or comfort.

These treatments can correct issues such as:

  • Gaps between teeth
  • Overcrowded teeth
  • Protruding teeth (buck teeth)
  • Overbite (upper teeth overlap lower teeth)
  • Underbite (lower teeth overlap upper teeth)
  • Crossbite (upper and lower jaw width are mismatched)
  • Open bite (gap between top and bottom teeth)

Smile Shapers

Get the Aligners Advantage!

Smile Shapers are fabricated to match each patient’s specific need. With three caring levels of treatment, these aligners are indicated for minimal to advanced aligning. Below you will find some of the most common cases Smile Shapers handles.

Tooth diagram showing bite misalignments.

Benefits

  • Comfortable & Discrete
  • Crystal Clear Translucency
  • Durable & Stain Resistant
  • Hypoallergenic
  • Produced on Accurate Carbon 3D Printers
  • Highest Quality Thermoplastic: Zendura Fix
  • Easily Snap On/Off for Maintenance, Cleaning, & Eating
  • More Cost Effective & Timely than Traditional Braces
  • 2 Sets of Retainers Provided for Post-Treatment
  • Made in the USA
  • FDA Approved with 510 Clearance
  • 5 Year Warranty


ClearCorrect™ Treatment

ClearCorrect™ TreatmentClearCorrect™ treatment can take anywhere from a few months to a few years. Your dentist will examine your teeth and take X-rays and impressions, after which he will write a prescription for custom ClearCorrect™ aligner trays. You will then be given your first set of alignment trays to wear around the clock and remove only when eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing. The trays will apply gradual pressure to your teeth, causing them to shift into the desired position. After two or three weeks, you will receive a new set of aligners to continue your treatment. This process will repeat, with regular checkups every four to six weeks to monitor your progress. Finally, your last set of trays will finish bringing your teeth into alignment. Afterward, you may be given nightly retainers to prevent relapse.

ClearCorrect™, 6 Porcelain Veneers, & Zoom Whitening
Pictures 1-8
Patient presented with multiple cosmetic discrepancies:
1. Severely crowded dentition
2. Chipped, missing, and misshapen teeth
3. Total lack of symmetry: tooth #7 is undersized and peg shaped, its mirror counterpart #10 is missing, and the larger eye tooth — #11 — has moved into its space.

Steps used to improve the patient’s smile:

1. Initial therapy consisted of a thorough cleaning and Zoom! whitening
2. The patient’s mouth was scanned. ClearCorrect™ clear aligner trays were fabricated and worn to correct the upper and lower anterior crowding.
3. Once the teeth were in an ideal position, 6 EMAX porcelain veneers were placed correcting the size, shape, color, and symmetry of the patient’s smile . The final dramatic result looks incredibly natural.

9 Porcelain Veneers, Zoom! Whitening, & ClearCorrect™

Picture #1 : Patient presented with chipped, worn, misaligned teeth with severe chalky spots and a lack of symmetry. The top front 2 teeth were too long and improperly balanced with the adjacent teeth. The upper arch was collapsed, creating a narrow smile; the upper back teeth were not visible.

Picture #2 : The patient’s teeth were cleaned and Zoom! whitened. I created a treatment plan to place 9 porcelain EMAX restorations in the upper arch to correct the misalignment, chalky spots, collapsed arch, and symmetry. ClearCorrect™ fabricated clear aligner trays were provided to correct the alignment in the lower arch.

Picture #3/4 : Demonstrate the 9 porcelain restorations in place in the upper arch, correcting not only the alignment but the color, symmetry, and collapsed arch. The upper front 2 teeth were shortened slightly and the adjacent teeth were created in ideal proportions creating a broader ideal but natural smile. The crowding in the lower arch was corrected after 5 ClearCorrect™ trays.


Pictures 1-3 Patient presented with peg-shaped lateral incisors and a gap or diastema between teeth 8 and 9 (central incisors ).
Pictures 4-6 After a thorough cleaning and Zoom! whitening, ClearCorrect™ clear aligners were used to close the space between teeth 8 and 9. Once closed, 2 porcelain veneers were placed on the peg-shaped laterals incisors, creating a beautiful natural smile.


Pictures 1-3 demonstrate several issues (1) lower arch crowding — teeth are all different heights (2) upper arch shows great differences in gum height, tooth shape and contour creating a total lack of symmetry . The uneven color is caused by old fillings and root canal treatment .

Pictures 4-6 show the improvement after 6 veneers were placed creating lifelike symmetry, color and tissue height. The lower arch was corrected simultaneously using ClearCorrect™ clear aligners.




Invisalign® Treatment

Invisalign® treatment logoInvisalign® treatment takes an average of one year for most patients. After your initial dental examination, X-rays, and impressions, your dentist will order a custom set of Invisalign® alignment trays to be fabricated for your teeth. You will then be fitted with your first set of aligners, which you should wear for up to 22 hours a day and remove only for eating, drinking, brushing, and flossing. The Invisalign® alignment trays will gently cause your teeth to move into alignment. Every two to three weeks, you will exchange these trays for a new set of trays that will bring your teeth closer into alignment. You will also come in for checkups every four to six weeks to ensure that your progress is going well. Eventually, your last set of aligner trays will bring your teeth into their final position. Once your treatment is complete, you may be given retainers to wear at night to maintain your newly aligned smile.


Advantages Over Braces

Our team frequently recommends Invisalign® and ClearCorrect™ for teeth straightening based on their advantages over treatment with braces:

  • Invisible: Enjoy the privacy of a smile treatment without telltale brackets and wires.
  • Professional: Maintain a mature, professional look throughout your treatment.
  • Convenient: Simply remove the aligners when eating, brushing, and flossing.
  • No Dietary Restrictions: Remove the aligners at mealtimes to enjoy your favorite foods.
  • Maintain Oral Health: Brush and floss easily by removing the trays rather than struggling to work around brace wires.
  • Comfortable: Metal-free alignment trays do not irritate the cheeks and gums.
  • Flexible: Time-saving treatment and check-up appointments make your schedule more convenient.

If you’re interested in this procedure, please contact us to book an appointment. We are also happy to assist you with any questions you may have.

Logo and images © ClearCorrect™ and Invisalign®.