Orthodontic treatment helps you get a perfectly aligned set of teeth, corrects bite issues, and eventually gets you a healthy and beautiful smile. An orthodontist is a specialist in the subject and is the only go-to person for such treatments. However, a recent trend of do-it-yourself (DIY) appliances (especially clear aligners) has become extremely popular, especially among youngsters or those with time and resource constraints. However, such procedures have been time and again termed as dangerous and unsafe. Read on to know why…

What is DIY orthodontic treatment?

Thanks to our habit of looking for fast solutions for everything on the Internet, the rise of DIY has gone beyond proportions. People look for teeth-straightening options so that no time is lost in visiting a dentist. There are quite a few companies that cater to this segment of people with their mail-order clear aligners. There are no in-person consultations, and the entire process is conducted online. The customers/patients send their teeth impressions and images for evaluation, based on which a series of clear aligners are shipped to them with almost no clinical supervision or follow-up treatments.

Lack of doctor’s advice

As mentioned above, DIY orthodontic treatment rarely involves an orthodontist. Orthodontists are experts in the field and the only people who know what your teeth needs. They are equipped with all that is needed to diagnose each case and decide on the type of treatment, which can vary from person to person. While the providers of mail-order teeth aligners do claim the presence of orthodontists for evaluation of the self-impressions, there is no way to verify this fact. In addition, without getting examined by an orthodontist, it is not possible to detect the multiple other problems associated with teeth alignment.

Types of dangers

While there are quite a few cases of success with DIY treatment, many others are not. Owing to the lack of in-person supervision by an orthodontist, there have been many cases of the treatment going wrong. While at-home teeth-straightening attempts for some turned out to be faulty due to wrong diagnosis and ill-fitting appliances, some others ended up with more dental issues. The most common ones being:

• Gum diseases due to incorrect shape and size of aligners
• Wrong movement of teeth
• Unsatisfactory results with the teeth not being aligned as expected
• No retainers to hold back the teeth in position

Just like any other ailment of the body, teeth-straightening is a clinical process and should not be taken lightly. Hence, no matter what the situation is, it is always advisable to consult an orthodontist to avoid any complications as far as teeth alignment is concerned.