Have you ever heard of removable dentistry? This refers to oral appliances and aligners that are removable, providing comfortable and effective treatment for a host of serious oral health concerns, from strained jaw joints to misalignment. In today’s blog, your Leawood, KS, dentist takes a look at our removable treatment options.
Common Warning Signs of Trouble
How do you know if your smile benefits from oral appliance therapy? We often use these to treat jaw joint disorders, so if you have frequent pain in and around your head and jaw, this could be a cause for concern and you should talk to our team. We also use them to correct dental misalignment, which could not only alter smile beauty, but leave you vulnerable to tooth decay, gum disease, and yes, jaw joint disorders like TMJ disorder and bruxism (teeth grinding). Our team will conduct a detailed examination to assess the cause and extent of your concerns, so we can identify the presence of a disorder that requires treatment. We also gather detailed digital images and measurements of your smile, which we will use in the design and fabricate of your oral appliance. To ensure optimal treatment, we always take a personalized approach to removable dentistry!
Creating Removable Aligners
How do we create these removable aligners? To get started, as we touched on above, our team will take detailed digital images of your smile from multiple angles, which we use in a lab setting to design and craft the finished product. Our team crafts them from BPA-free plastic material so they fit comfortably. Their custom nature means they offer care with precision and accuracy. Each one is custom-fitted for your smile. They’re easy to clean and store when not in use, and we can monitor them in future visits to ensure you’re obtaining optimal results. If one is very damaged or doesn’t fit properly, please let us know right away so we can address the issue!
Invisalign® and SureSmile
Removable dentistry can address your misalignment without the need for metal braces. Instead, we will custom-made a series of plastic aligners. With the Invisalign® or SureSmile system, you don’t use metal brackets or wires to shift the teeth in your smile. Instead, you will wear a set of aligners for about 20 to 22 hours a day, depending on our recommendations and the extent of your misalignment. You then change them every two weeks or so, as they shift your smile. For some, optimal results could be available in a matter of months or up to a year. This is typical for adults. Teens may need around 18 months to see optimal results. The aligners are simple to use and clean, and also removable! Being removable means you don’t have to alter your diet, as you take them out before meals. Being removable also means a much easier time brushing and flossing, so you can better protect your oral health during treatment.
TMJ and Bruxism Appliances
What about jaw joint disorders? Our team can offer relief for those with TMJ disorder or bruxism. TMJ disorder also causes strain on your jaw joints and alters how you open and close your mouth. This causes serious complications and painful symptoms. Bruxism, or chronic teeth grinding, means you grind and clench your teeth at night which wears down outer structure to damage and wear down teeth, leaving you vulnerable to painful symptoms and even decay and infection. Both could be caused by missing teeth, high stress levels, misalignment, injury to the jaw or face, or issues with the growth of your jaw or the eruption of your teeth.
With both, you could experience toothaches, tooth sensitivity, headaches, migraines, jaw pain, and facial aches. A popping or clicking in the jaw is common too. With removable dentistry, our team will create a custom plastic oral appliance, one that looks like a mouthguard and is worn as you sleep. The device then shifts the jaw to ease strain and also puts a barrier between the teeth to prevent damage to your smile. You then enjoy a comfortable smile and avoid further damage to your smile!
If you have any questions about removable dentistry, or if a removable aligner is necessary to help you enjoy your best smile, then contact our team today to learn more. We want to help you enjoy your best possible smile, one free of discomfort!
Talk To Your Leawood, KS Dentist About Removable Dentistry
If you have concerns or questions about our removable and restorative treatment options, then contact Dreem Dentistry in Leawood, KS by calling 913-681-5500.
