Minor Tooth Movement

What are Clear Aligners?

A clear hard-plastic mouthguard-like appliance is molded to fit very tight around your teeth. The aligner must be worn day and night (24/7 except while eating) to be effective. Very small indentations are placed in the aligner to move teeth. Sometimes, several teeth need to be recontoured (reshaped) to align the teeth in the available space.

Who can benefit from MTM with aligners?

Anyone who has a small amount of crowding (less than 3 mm) in the dental arch. The technique works best on arches which have stopped growing. One or two slightly crooked teeth can be straightened without need for traditional braces. Malocclusion or protrusion cannot be treated.

What is the process ?

1. A brief, free consultation with the doctor to see if you are a candidate for MTM.
2. We make a “trial” aligner which you wear for one week to see whether you can manage the constant appliance wear. This avoids you paying for the full treatment and then discovering that you are not able to complete it.
3. A diagnostic appointment consisting of health history, xrays, photos, impressions for models of your mouth, and discussion of the case with the doctor. He will explain the details of the problem, how long treatment will take, number of different aligners and appointments needed, and finally the total cost. If you accept treatment, the first adjustment can be made to the trial aligner and/or separators are placed to begin making space to move teeth.
4. You will be seen approximately every two weeks to slowly recountour teeth and to make ½ mm adjustments to your aligner to keep the correct pressure on the teeth to be moved. The average case will take from three to eight months.