What about compliance with aligners?

Orthodontic tooth movement requires a coordinated line of biochemical reactions to happen. On the one hand, bone remodelling drives the osteoclasts to proceed with bone resorption to occur from the pressure side. On the other hand, the osteoblasts cause bone deposition on the tension side. Only with these synchronized actions of cellular differentiation and bone remodelling can orthodontic tooth movement occur as planned by the orthodontist.

Clear aligners are growing in popularity in recent years. Since they can be removed, they help facilitate better oral health during the treatment and minimize disruption in the patient’s social and personal lives. Unlike the bracket-and-wire feature of braces that are difficult to clean, aligners can easily to removed for efficient brushing and flossing. Plus no foods are off-limits with aligners because there is no fear of brackets coming off or wires breaking.

We say all this to note that clear aligners, despite being in high demand for their comfort and removability, do not work if the patient fails to wear them as instructed. One of the greatest enemies of orthodontic treatment with aligners is also ironically the biggest plus point of the treatment – its removability. Since patient compliance is pivotal for the success of the treatment, there is much to learn about its role in the treatment process.

Why is patient compliance important?

There is a wide array of factors that can affect the rate at which tooth movement occurs. These include age, gender, root length, bone density, medication, systemic conditions, and most importantly, patient compliance.

Invisalign aligners come as trays that are fabricated to custom-fit your dentition. After you get your pre-aligner assessment done, the orthodontist will give you a set of guidelines to follow throughout the treatment procedure. From this day forth, you will need to be committed to wearing your aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day, only to be taken out when eating or brushing.

These strict wear timetables help guide your teeth to position quicker. At your weekly appointments, your orthodontist will be able to better keep track of your progress and you will be able to switch trays every one to two weeks to ultimately bring your teeth to their desired positions.

How can you ensure patient compliance?

Initially, when clear aligners were first coming into public regard, all orthodontists could do to ensure patient compliance was to take the patient’s word for it. That led to a good chunk of individuals who were uncooperative with their treatment process. Keeping these issues to mind, clear aligner systems were able to develop a formula that ensured patient compliance and recognized poor compliance  – come, the Invisalign® teen compliance indicator.

These compliance indicators made it easier for the dentist to tell if their patients were following directions. Each aligner comes with a series of blue dots. These dots do not affect the treatment in any way but will let the dentist know if the patient has been wearing the aligner as they should. As the aligners are worn, these blue dots begin to fade. So, if the patient failed to wear their aligners regularly, these dots will still be visible to the orthodontist.

On the other end of the scale, even without these blue dots, orthodontists will be able to know if you have indeed been wearing your aligners properly. This could manifest in the way your teeth alignment looks and how your treatment progresses. If the aligners fit poorly to your teeth or if you have missed multiple appointments, the dentist is able to confer that you’ve not been stringent with your aligner wear process. If these signs are recognized early on, they may be able to take corrective measures. However, this will only delay the process of your treatment while dragging you by your pockets.

Takeaway

Although clear aligners are comparably more comfortable than traditional braces, they will take some getting used to. However, it is important to remember that wearing them regularly right from the start of the treatment will ensure that your teeth are straightened quicker and with fewer complications. Clear aligners may be the right choice for your malocclusion but only as long as you are disciplined and dedicated to wearing your aligners.