Orthodontic Treatment in Beamsville & Niagara Falls
You deserve a smile you feel proud to show off in any situation. At Niagara Peninsula Orthodontics, our mission is to help you achieve this smile on your own terms. As a leading orthodontist serving St. Catharines, Beamsville, Fonthill, and Niagara Falls, ON, we're proud to provide a wide range of orthodontic treatments, and we strive to customize treatment to suit each patient's unique lifestyle. Braces are still the most popular treatment we offer, but if you're looking for a convenient, discrete form of treatment, clear aligners may be right for you.
What are Clear Aligners?
Clear Aligners are an exciting alternative to traditional braces that uses a fundamentally different mechanism to move and straighten the teeth. Instead of the metal brackets and wires used by traditional braces, clear aligners rely on a series of clear, removable trays called aligners that fit directly over the dental arch. These aligners are made from a transparent polyurethane plastic material, which makes them almost invisible while wearing. Because the aligners are removable, it's easy to pop them in and out to eat, drink, brush, and perform oral hygiene– making clear aligners one of the most convenient orthodontic options on the market.
The Benefits of Clear Aligners Treatment in St. Catharines, Beamsville, Fonthill, and Niagara Falls
Thanks to its unique design, Clear Aligners come with a number of advantages over traditional braces. Here are a few of the biggest benefits of clear aligners:
Virtually Invisible: clear aligners are clear and lay flat on the teeth, which makes them nearly impossible to see when worn. No more worrying about braces in pictures, at social events, or during professional presentations!
Enjoy Your Favorite Foods: While braces require you to modify your diet in order to avoid harming your braces, getting clear aligners means you'll simply pop your aligners out during meal time. Whether you want to dig into pizza, popcorn, or a chewy caramel, clear aligners let you enjoy all your favorite foods!
Improved Comfort: The metal brackets and wires of braces are notorious for poking and prodding, which can cause small cuts to form inside the mouth that can be a nuisance. With clear aligners, though, this isn't an issue. The aligners are smooth to the touch, making for a more comfortable treatment experience.
Grinding Protection: Because the aligners cover the chewing surfaces of the teeth, they provide a small layer of protection against nighttime clenching and grinding. This can prevent excessive wear & tear as well as ease muscle tension in the jaw.
The Clear Aligners Treatment Process
At a basic level, clear aligners do the same thing as braces. The aligners apply a gentle, continuous force to each individual tooth, causing them to shift position over time and result in a beautiful, healthy smile. That said, the treatment process is different from that of braces in some important ways. While every patient and treatment process is different, here's what you can expect for your clear aligners treatment:
During your initial consultation at one of our offices in St. Catharines, Beamsville, Fonthill, and Niagara Falls, our orthodontist, Dr. Neeraj Pershad, will perform a comprehensive orthodontic evaluation, taking diagnostic measurements like X-rays to fully understand your orthodontic condition. Dr. Pershad will review these results to make a diagnosis.
Based on that diagnosis, Dr. Pershad will construct a 3D model of your mouth using advanced computer software, then use that model to create a detailed treatment plan.
We will then have your personalized set of aligners custom-manufactured based on your treatment plan– as few as 12 or as many as 48 pairs.
Once you get your aligners, you'll wear them for 22 hours per day, removing them only to eat, drink, brush and floss.
You'll wear each set of aligners for about 2 weeks before moving onto the next pair, and with each new set, your teeth will move closer to their final positions.
Once you finish your final set of aligners, you'll have a gorgeous new smile to call your own!
Clear Aligners for Teens in St. Catharines, Beamsville, Fonthill, and Niagara Falls
In the past, clear aligners were a treatment reserved almost exclusively for adults. While they are still one of our most popular adult treatment options, they're also an option for teenagers that want a discreet, convenient form of orthodontic treatment.
We can create aligners with specialized "eruption tabs" that hold open space for unerupted teeth, allowing us to use clear aligners for patients whose molars haven't fully grown in.
Each aligner comes with a built-in "compliance indicator," helping doctors, parents, and teens themselves see if they're wearing the aligners diligently enough.
Caring for Your Aligners
Caring for clear aligners is easy. Simply brush them gently with a toothbrush each time you remove them or put them back in, then rinse them off with lukewarm water. Make sure to never use hot water on your aligners, as this can warp the plastic and ruin the aligners. For a deeper clean, you can periodically soak the aligners in a glass of water with a denture cleaning tablet. When we give you your set of aligners, we'll also provide more detailed instructions for how to clean and care for them.
Schedule a Consultation for Clear Aligners in St. Catharines, Beamsville, Fonthill, and Niagara Falls!
Clear Aligners are a convenient, comfortable, and virtually invisible orthodontic treatment option that can treat the vast majority of orthodontic conditions. If you think they may be right for you, we'd be happy to help. Reach out to us at our contact page with any questions you may have about clear aligners, or if you're ready to start the process, simply request a consultation online at our Fonthill, Beamsville, St. Catharines, or Niagara Falls, ON office. We can't wait to hear from you, and we're excited to help you achieve the smile of your dreams!