Attachments are a critical part of successful tooth movement with aligners. It it easy to imagine how the bracket from traditional braces serve as a “handle” to move a tooth in any desired direction. With aligners, the plastic alone is not able to facilitate every type of tooth movement. It is especially difficult to move smaller teeth like incisors unless they have attachments to assist the movement. Placement of the attachment and delivery of your aligners if the first force application and therefore the start of your treatment.
In this video you will see Helen place attachments on my own teeth. I had never worn a NOLA device. These are used to help keep the mouth open and the teeth dry. It was surprisingly comfortable. As expected, my mouth did become quite dry. I suppose that means the NOLA did its job. We captured the highlights of the video but the entire procedure typically takes 20-30 mins. We schedule 50 minutes so that we have time to go over all of the instructions and to answer any questions. Some of you will need to wear elastics. We would also cover this in this visit as well. My orthodontic needs do not require me to wear elastics so you will not see it in this video.
Helen did an amazing job! I did not have to clean up any excess from the adhesive that makes up the attachment. I am typing this several weeks later and everyone is still attached to my teeth. Success!
At the end of this video we give some brief instructions that include the following
* The aligners are to be worn 30 hours each day!
* You must only take them out to eat and brush
* You can only drink water with them in. For any liquid beyond water, the aligners need to be removed.
* Do not rinse in hot water! This will deform the plastic and it will therefore lose its strength. This means it is not moving the teeth and the next aligner will be much more difficult to transition to.
* We already covered this but hot tea or coffee should not be drank with the aligners in. It will stain your teeth and that is your choice if you wish to to deal with that. I however will be disappointed since the hot liquid will deform your tray and we wont get our desired tooth movements.
* Keep your trays away from pets! They love you and your saliva.
* If it’s not in your face, it’s in your case.
* Brush your aligners and your teeth after each meal and before placing the aligners back into your mouth.
* Trays are to be changed every 7 days unless directed otherwise.
* Check each and every tooth to make sure that is it seating. If it is not then there is no sense in moving forward. This tooth will be left in the dust.
* Remove the trays from the back inside and pull it forward to release it.
There are a lot more tips that I may have forgot. I will dive into each of these tips in more detail in future Vlogs.
I hope you are enjoying my journey so far! Please do not hesitate to ask any questions that you may have [email protected] or text/call 586-286-5520.
Gerald W. Wesley, DDS, MS