Visiting the dentist for complex treatments may be costly, but you aren’t only paying for the materials used to complete treatment. Patients should know that by visiting the dentist, they’re getting the opportunity to work with a medical professional, which is something you always want when it comes to your oral and overall health. Even if you think you can save money with the DIY route, you’re always better off getting your braces in Plano.
Here are the dangers you can expect from DIY braces.
The Risk for Long-Term Damage is High
From the outside, teeth straightened through DIY means implies that the process could work without much problem. However, many people assume that if teeth are straight or white, it means they are healthy. Without a proper X-ray or orthodontist present to examine what’s really occurring during treatment, there’s no way to know if the patient made their teeth shift too quickly.
In a popular case that circulated around the Internet in 2016, a patient realigned his smile in just 16 weeks using DIY-made clear aligners, a fraction of what’s required for typical orthodontic treatment, including for professionally-made clear aligners.
Shifting teeth too quickly can cause permanent damage to the bone and gums, two areas essential to having a successful orthodontic treatment.
A High Potential for Relapse
Because DIY braces treatment is unsupervised, there are many moments where patients incorrectly plan their realignments. Relapse cases are quite common, but they can be reduced by having your orthodontist plan your case. Even if you have access to the expensive fabrication equipment like some people do, your teeth can easily shift back to their original position even faster than it took for them to move originally.
Additionally, orthodontists aren’t just examining your smile’s appearance. Another big concern is the way your bite fits after orthodontic treatment. Teeth that are not properly shifted can cause your bite to become permanently affected. A poor bite only increases your chances of wearing down teeth due to teeth grinding or developing temporomandibular joint disorder (i.e. TMD).
Having a Professional By Your Side
Its one thing to have access to the fabrication equipment, but it’s an entirely different thing to have access to the years of schooling, residency, and certifications that comes with dentistry and orthodontics. It’s not all about the technology or products themselves that make the difference between braces in Plano and DIY braces.
In reality, it’s the day one planning that occurs right after you receive your braces. It’s the routine appointments that confirm your teeth are shifting correctly. It’s the ability to make adjustments throughout the process and get your smile looking how you imagined. It’s not about winging the process and hoping for the best.
Doing that will only put you two steps back and create additional costs for future dental problems later. To get started realigning your teeth the right way, schedule an appointment with your dentist in Plano today!
About the Author
Those looking for a straighter smile should look no further than Dr. Shannon Stokes! After earning his DDS degree from the Baylor College of Dentistry, he completed post-graduate education on other useful fields of dentistry, including cosmetics and orthodontics. To learn more about his practice, contact him through his website.
