When patients think about the correction of malaligned, crooked, overlapping or overcrowded teeth, braces and wires are the first things that spring to mind. However, according‭ ‬to‭ ‬the‭ ‬demands and needs of the patients, dentistry has been revolutionised. Gone are those geeky wire braces that we see from the eighties. Gone are those shy people with braces too scared to smile or hiding their faces.

To tackle the increasing aesthetic demand for an alternative to conventional braces, ‭‬researchers have developed several ‭ ‬solutions ‬such as composite‭ ‬braces, ceramic braces, lingual orthodontics and ‭now, a new concept of clear braces ‬or invisible aligners. Clear aligners are the new way to flip an unattractive smile full of badly aligned teeth into that fantastic Bollywood smile. They are clear, thin, transparent removable plastic aligners for the successful moving of teeth into their required position.

The dentist said, “During the treatment, the patients are given a series of bespoke and customized aligners that move the teeth in the sequence determined by the dentist. Each aligner in the series works individually with making little adjustments to the tooth position.” Furthermore, Dr Kshama adds that a 3D scan is essentially done and is used to produce a series of clear plastic aligners that steadily correct the malocclusion. The patient is instructed to ‭change the aligner‭ ‬every two weeks with each aligner shifting the teeth to around 0.25 to 0.3mm.

Clear aligners can provide excellent esthetics during treatment as they fit over the teeth like a mouth guard which won’t let anyone know if you are undergoing treatment along with the comfort of wear, ease of use, superior oral hygiene and most importantly it is a completely painless process because there are no metal brackets or wires which lead to laceration of mouth. The conventional braces are fixed to the teeth with wires and brackets whereas clear aligners can be taken out to eat whatever you want and put back again.

Besides this, the dental surgeon also gave some tips for those who opt for clear aligners. She lays emphasis on avoiding drinking and smoking with aligners to avoid stains. To get the best results, the dentist advises avoiding taking out the clear aligners other than having meals. “Aligners should be worn for 22 hours in a day for getting the desired outcome”, she added. 

Dr Kshama Chandan who is very active on social media frequently shares dental tips on her Instagram page, ‘@kshama3091’. With a BDS and MDS in Prosthodontics, the dental surgeon is successfully running a private practice at The DentalWorx in Mumbai.