Confidently Straighten, Invisibly Shine
Achieve a beautifully aligned smile—start your clear aligner journey today.
Dr. Stone is a premier invisible braces provider, which means that he can determine if treatment with clear aligners is ideal for your needs and guide you through the treatment process from start to finish.
During a consultation, Dr. Stone will perform a thorough examination and take photos and measurements. Gathering this information helps him determine if treatment with clear aligners will help you achieve your goals.
Clear aligners straighten your teeth utilizing clear plastic trays instead of traditional metal wire and bracket orthodontics. The aligner trays fit snug against your teeth, making them comfortable and easy to wear without interfering with talking or smiling. Your aligners need to be worn at least 22 hours each day to achieve the best results, but they can be removed for eating, brushing, and flossing your teeth.
You will receive a new set of aligners every two weeks that will move your teeth according to Dr. Stone’s specifications. You will be visiting him periodically throughout your treatment to ensure that your teeth are progressing as planned.
The first step is an evaluation with Dr. Stone at our Clinton Township dental office. He will perform a comprehensive exam to determine the underlying health of your teeth. He will check your dental bite and take panoramic digital x-rays so he can see a clear view of your entire mouth in one image. This technology is invaluable for helping Dr. Stone identify bite problems and determine the extent of your misalignment. We will also take impressions and photos of your teeth, all of which will be used to develop your treatment plan.
Dr. Stone inputs all this information into specialized software that provides a 3-D view of your teeth and jaws, and he uses this as a guide to map out a plan to move your teeth into the desired position. We send your treatment plan to a custom lab that prepares several sets of clear aligners, and when we receive them back, we’ll have you return to our dental office so we can give you your aligners along with instructions for wearing them.
At our Clinton Township dental office, we use clear aligners to address many common alignment issues:
If you’re not sure which problem you are dealing with, please contact us so we can arrange a consultation to discuss your oral health needs.
The longer you wear your aligner trays each day, the faster your treatment will be finished. Your goal should be to wear them for at least 22 hours a day and remove them only for meals and oral hygiene. Yes, it’s convenient to remove them. But remember that if you’re not wearing your aligners, they’re not working and your treatment is not progressing. Worse yet, going for too long without the aligners on your teeth can actually undo the progress you’ve already worked so hard to achieve.
No! Your clear aligners are removable so that you can take them out for meals. You will be able to continue following a healthy diet and eating all your favorite foods. So if you want to indulge in a big juicy steak or corn on the cob, go ahead and enjoy yourself. Just remember that you need to brush your teeth before you place your aligners back in your mouth to avoid bacteria from developing beneath them.
The time it takes to straighten teeth can only be determined by your dentist after an evaluation that include x-rays and a comprehensive dental exam. This is because everyone starts with different types and extents of misalignment. Generally speaking, Dr. Stone may be able to treat mild misalignments in as little as a year. More advanced cases where some bite adjustment is required can take 15 or 18 months. As you can see, treatment times vary widely by individual. If you would like an accurate idea of how long it would take for you, please call us to arrange a consultation.