Is teeth straightening at home safe? The risks of DTC clear aligners and DIY orthodontics kits

Clear orthodontics has been experiencing a real boom in recent years, and it’s not surprising. Thanks to clear aligners, we can solve dental problems and improve smile aesthetics more comfortably and discretely than with traditional orthodontics.

As in most fields, if the interest in a product or service grows, so does the number of companies that offer it. And, in an increasingly competitive market, choosing a company for treatment becomes more and more difficult. However, it’s important to point out that this decision shouldn’t be taken lightly: you’re not simply choosing between two brands, but rather deciding who to trust with your health.

To avoid choosing an orthodontic treatment that could put your health at risk, this article covers the main differences between the types of at-home orthodontics, what factors you should consider when choosing a treatment and the risks of making a bad choice.

Are all teeth straightening at home treatments the same?

It’s incredibly easy to be fooled by brands that promise to change your smile at almost ridiculous prices. However, when discussing our health, the price is the least important factor. Currently there are many brands that offer clear teeth aligners at home, but beware! Not all brands are the same, nor are all methods. To clear up any confusion, we’ll briefly explain the difference between DIY (do it yourself) or DTC (direct to consumer) teeth straightening, as in braces and clear aligners at home vs real treatments that can be performed almost entirely at home under medical supervision.

Unsupervised teeth straightening at home

This category includes all unsupervised at-home teeth straightening “treatments.” The most common options are:

• Homemade “braces” and “dental aligners.” This option carries countless risks and should be avoided at all costs.
• Online “orthodontic” devices without any prior diagnosis or medical follow-up. This option is just as dangerous as the previous one, since the aligners aren’t custom they can irritate your mouth and create new dental problems.
  
• Brands that offer DIY home teeth straightening kits. These companies ask you to make a mold of your mouth yourself and, based on that impression, they send you “custom” clear teeth aligners for you to use without professional supervision. With this model, the risk is that patients never receive a professional diagnonis and that the treatment is not supervised by an orthodontist. It’s likely that they address problems based on the impression with DIY dental aligners’ kits, and do so incorrectly.
  
• DTC aligners and devices from companies that offer an initial diagnosis but don't perform any medical follow-ups. Direct to consumer orthodontics brands might carry out some initial testing before sending the clear aligners, but don't provide follow-up to patients, which, of course, can be very risky.

All of the above begs the question: does any type of at-home aligner work? The answer is simple: no. Any of these four options can put not only your oral health, but also your general health at risk. Furthermore, all of them are strongly discouraged by professional orthodontists.

Professionally supervised invisible aligners at home

Aside from all the dangerous, unsupervised options, there are professional orthodontic treatments using clear teeth aligners that progess almost entirely at home, with hardly any visits to the clinic. The big difference with respect to DIY and DTC orthodontics is that with this method, although the patient doesn’t need constant visits to the clinic, they are always supervised by orthodontists.

In this case, the professionals diagnose the patient in-person by performing all the appropriate tests. They then supervise the treatment digitally, checking that everything goes according to plan. For example, with Impress, you don’t need to visit the clinic every time you have to change your invisible aligners, you can do it at home since our team of professionals can assess the evolution of your treatment via our app.

What are the risks of unsupervised at-home orthodontic treatments?

The type of orthodontic treatment we choose indicates how much we value our health. So the first step is eliminating any option classified as homemade orthodontics, as well as DIY and DTC braces and teeth aligners. It’s clear that at-home teeth aligners aren’t safe without medical supervision. Below, we’ll discuss the risks of carrying out treatment unspuervised. The risks can be divided into four groups: functional, orthodontic, oral and aesthetic.

Orthodontic risks

The use of homemade, DTC or DIY “dental aligners" can cause the initial problems to worsen or new diseases to develop and affect the positioning of the teeth or the bite.

Oral risks

In addition to risks associated with the positioning of the teeth or the bite, using home devices or without medical supervision can cause other types of problems that can affect:

• Teeth: such as tooth sensitivity, appearance of new cavities or loss of teeth
• Gums: such as gingivitis, receding gums or worsening of periodontitis
  
• Tongue and cheek: such as sores, cuts or wounds
  

Functional risks

The inappropriate use of orthodontic devices without medical supervision can end up affecting vital oral functions. Unsupervised at-home orthodontics could have negative effects on speech, chewing, swallowing or even breathing, among others.

Aesthetic risks

New mispositionings or secondary effects mentioned above could lead to changes in our appearance.

What factors should you consider when choosing a clear orthodontic treatment?

Now that we know that at-home aligners are only safe if supervised by professionals, but among so many brands offering similar treatments, how can we distinguish between those that are safe and those that aren’t?

In order to avoid any risks, we’ve compiled a list of the key factors to consider when choosing clear orthodontic treatment. If any orthodontic treatment you are considering doesn’t include each and every one of the following guidelines, it should be ruled out.

Getting a professional diagnosis

Receiving a good diagnosis from a qualified orthodontist is non-negotiable. This immediately eliminates all homemade and DIY teeth straightening braces and aligners. Only a professional will be able to assess your situation and develop a plan that suits your needs.

The professional must decide what type of tests the patient needs in order to know for sure if they are suitable for clear orthodontic treatment and to properly plan their treatment. Although there will be patients who need more tests than others, the two basic ones are:

• Recognition and oral examination in clinic
• Orthopantomography
  

These two tests allow the professional to identify anything that would prevent the patient from receiving treatment or any complexities that need to be addressed before starting, such as the onset of periodontitis, incoming wisdom teeth or cavities.

Using a suitable impression method

To create custom aligners, the orthodontist must make an initial impression of the entire set of teeth. The classic method, which is still used in many consultations, uses silicone molds. In recent years, this method (that’s somewhat cumbersome) has started to be replaced by the 3D scanning method in some clinics. Using state-of-the-art equipment, professionals can quickly capture highly accurate impressions of the patient's mouth and generate a detailed 3D image of the entire oral cavity.

Although the latter far exceeds the traditional method in terms of efficiency and precision, both methods are valid as long as they are performed by a qualified orthodontist. It’s extremly important that any "treatments" that proposes the patient does the impression themself, be avoided at all cost.

Total treatment customization

Each mouth is its own world and some standard splints do not fit correctly in many mouths. Closely linked to the previous point, another factor to consider is whether or not the aligners are 100% personalized for the patient. It’s of the utmost importance to avoid buying online orthodontics kits online that contain pre-designed splints, as this can only make the patient's pathology worse. If you’re looking for clear teeth aligners at home, make sure they’ve been specially designed for your mouth.

Identifiying complex cases and implementing complementary treatments

You should also avoid going with brands that do not differentiate between the difficulty of each case. Not all dental problems can be solved by following the same treatment plan. There are cases that with certain complexities that can only be assessed by a professional.

For example, in those more complex cases, the patient may need attachments, buttons for intermaxillary rubber bands or have an IPR performed at some point in the treatment. These complementary procedures can only be performed by professional orthodontists.

Constant supervision by qualified professionals

Only a professional can assess if you’re ready to switch to the next aligner and under no circumstances can you make this decision on your own. Similarly, it is essential that a specialist review the evolution of the treatment and assess whether it’s functioning correctly. That’s why, whether in person or digitally, orthodontic treatments must be evaluated every week or two by an orthodontist.

Additionally, if any concerns arise during the treatment or if you notice something that may be preventing correct development, it’s necessary to have experts to turn to so they can resolve or evaluate the issue in greater detail.

Performing occasional in-person check-ups in complex cases

No orthodontic treatment can be considered "simple" but it’s possible to distinguish between a greater or lesser degree of complexity. In the case of some orthodontic treatments with less complexity, monitoring can be take place almost entirely from home (with digital supervision by orthodontists). However, this isn’t true for cases that have a higher degree of complexity. For those, it’s likely that the orthodontist will recommend face-to-face consultations with some regularity (every 1 or 2 months). This way they can evaluate the evolution of the treatment in person and also perform IPRs or reposition attachments if necessary.

Your health, our priority

At Impress your health comes first. That’s why, regardless if you decide to carry out your orthodontic treatment with us, we make an effort to encourage you to always go to a professional clinic where you can be treated by qualified orthodontists. Only a professional is able to evaluate your particular case, plan an orthodontic treatment that is totally adapted to you and provide you with the appropriate follow-up.

Why Impress is different?

Impress offers professional and risk-free orthodontic treatment with clear teeth aligners at home, combining all the advantages of traditional and at-home orthodontics while eliminating all the disadvantages. How is this possible? Let’s see:

• On the one hand, with Impress, just like with traditional orthodontic clinics, you have qualified professionals who diagnose, plan and supervise your treatment. Our team can also determine the degree of complexity and treat cases that involve great difficulty.
• On the other hand, our team of professionals uses the latest technology to diagnose and achieve the highest precision impression to produce your personalised aligners.
  
• Plus, you can carry out a large part of your orthodontic treatment from home with clear aligners, but always with the digital supervision of our medical team through our app. If you prefer to visit us at the clinc for your check-ups, we’ll be happy to see you.
  

In addition to everything mentioned above, you can also enjoy many other advantages with Impress:

• Regardless of the treatment type, we offer fixed prices - so no surprises. We also have financing options, so you can comfortably pay for your orthodontic treatment in installments.
• You can contact our team at any time of the day, any day of the week through our app or by phone.
  
• With Impress there’s no middleman - we have our own medical team. Since we’re not a franchise, the entire team works under the same methodology, using the same technology and adhering to the same quality standards.
  
• We have the latest technology in the orthodontic field, which allows us to diagnose and plan treatments in the most efficient way possible.
  
• We have clinics throughout the country, and in 8 other countries around the world, so if you need to start your treatment in one city or country and finish it in another, you can.
  
• Lastly, in many of our clinics we have both the team and the material to perform various pre-orthodontic treatments, such as fillings, periodontal reports or hygienic cleanings. So if you need any of these pre-treatments, it won’t require other consultations.
  

If you’re thinking about starting a clear orthodontic treatment, contact us without any obligation and we’ll answer all your questions. You can get in touch with us by WhatsApp, by phone at +44 20 3808 1072, or by filling out our online form. We’ll be waiting for you at your nearest Impress clinic!