Differences Between Getting Invisalign from a Dentist vs. Clear Aligners Online

So the first difference between the two treatments is having a real dentist to actually look at your teeth, where we screen everything. We look at the health of your teeth, the health of your gum, and whether you’re even suitable to have the orthodontic treatment or not. And surprisingly enough, not everybody is suitable for Invisalign. There could be underlying diseases, for example, a hole in the tooth or gum disease. The patient needs to address these concerns before they actually move the teeth around because without getting the fundamental health right, the moving of the teeth can actually aggravate the disease and make things worse. So this is something that is not done with DIY shops because they don’t physically have a qualified dentist sitting there to locate the record, to locate the X-rays, to check the health of the teeth or gum before they start moving the teeth.

This is a very technically challenging process and it requires years of experience to do it right. On the other hand, the DIY clinic doesn’t usually have this step done as thoroughly as it should. They might have some telecommunicating clinicians on the other side of the world planning the movement of your teeth without ever seeing you, without knowing the condition of your mouth. They just move your teeth on a computer screen. This might not give you the best results and you can carry a lot of risks when you commit to this type of DIY treatment.

These attachments are like little buttons that your aligners will grab onto. They are critical to the complex movements of your teeth and help you achieve the results you are after. However, with DIY clear aligners, there are no attachments, so there is nothing for the clear aligners to hold onto. This means you might not get the exact movements needed and slow down the results.

When you get your Invisalign at a dentist, as part of your treatment, you will regularly visit your dentist, where he or she will look inside your mouth, inspect the progress, monitor the movement of your teeth to make sure everything is happening as originally planned. If you have any pain or discomfort, your dentist can also treat them. Whereas with a DIY treatment, you won’t have a dentist or orthodontist to physically look into your mouth. Everything is done remotely behind a screen. So if anything goes wrong, you can be in a lot of trouble.

Finally, working with a dentist for your Invisalign treatment means that you are guaranteed with the result you are going to get, simply because you have a professional working with you during the whole process, and can make adjustments where necessary. Whereas with a DIY treatment, sometimes you have to sign a waiver form, so there is no guarantee of the final outcome.