There is a popular at-home invisible braces brand that claims to be as good as Invisalign but without the extra cost that comes with going to a dentist every two weeks. As a precaution to those considering that option, I want to point on a complication I first discovered on YouTube. A patient had been documenting her Smile Direct experience. In month six, something went wrong. She could not get her aligners in. It took her a painful amount of time and there was a significant amount of discomfort. Eventually, she got them in. Fortunately, for this young woman, she had made a public video of this and had a large number of followers, so this came to the attention of Smile Direct Club who rectified the problem.
In a follow-up video, she explained what went wrong. Smile Direct club had mixed up her month four and month five aligners, sending her month five in month four and vice-versa. this is a HUGE mistake. I would liken it to using the wrong x-ray on a patient during surgery and ending up doing the wrong procedure. First, her teeth were moved too far in month four. Then, when she got to month five, they were moved back to an earlier position. Then, in month six, she had essentially finished month four, which caused her to be forcing another aligner on too soon and moving her teeth too far again. I am certain if we saw before and after pictures of her gums from this incident, there would be some bone resorption, which damages the health of her teeth and if allowed to continue would cause her teeth to come loose.
This brings me to the big problem with Smile Direct Club. There really is not adequate follow-up. If this woman had not been a popular YouTuber, there would have been no notice of what went wrong and they would have just continued the incorrect treatment. While the care of a dentist does cost a little more when you use Invisalign, those visits are for the patient’s protection. Not only because of quality control and making certain you get the right aligners, but also because bodies do not always cooperate. Sometimes the treatment needs to be adjusted. Without the care of a dentist, you would have no way of knowing that and your case could end up with serious problems. That doesn’t happen in every case, but it does happen.
My suggestion is if you want your teeth straightened, do it the safe way, with Invisalign.
This blog is brought to you by Des Moines Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Phelan Thomas.