So, Dr. Rob, I understand you have new service offerings. Can you tell us a little bit about them?
SureSmile is an invisible orthodontic aligner system. Many people have probably heard of Invisalign, which is another system. It’s just another company that makes these aligners but SureSmile is an orthodontic system. All of these aligner therapy systems are mathematically driven and it allows us to move teeth where we want to without having braces and brackets.
Who would benefit from getting SureSmile?
Anybody who wants to have their teeth straightened and doesn’t have a lot of crowding or spaces can really benefit from aligner therapy as well as people who are getting some complicated dentistry done where the teeth are misaligned. If we can get the teeth aligned before we do those types of reconstruction, then it makes the case a lot easier and more predictable.
What’s the timeline for seeing results from SureSmile aligners?
It depends on how much crowding or spacing you have but typical cases run somewhere between 6 and 12 months.
Can you walk us through the process of getting the SureSmile aligners?
First of all, I always like to talk with the patients and find out what their motivation is for having aligner therapy. Then what we do is scan their mouths with a dental scanner which gives us a very, very accurate digital mold of their mouth. These scans get sent off with some photographs and x-rays to SureSmile and they send back a plan. I look at the plan carefully and make sure that it suits our final needs. We order it and get a series of trays, each tray being slightly different. Every two weeks, you replace the new trays with the old ones and just very gradually the teeth are moved.
What I like about this so much is that when you have these trays in your mouth, you virtually look like there’s nothing there. So you can be out socially, you can talk, you don’t eat with them in, but you can take them out to eat and brush your teeth. When I was younger, I had orthodontics and I know the thing that drove me crazy the most was that food would always get stuck in my wires. I’d carry a toothbrush with me everywhere I went because there was always stuff in my teeth. So you don’t have that problem with the SureSmile aligner therapy.
You mentioned the digital scanner, does that mean no goopy gunk in your mouth?
That’s correct. Everything’s done digitally now so we don’t have to make impressions. Patients don’t have problems with gagging and the taste of the impression materials, which are always awful.
If you’re interested in SureSmile aligners, contact Lipkowitz Dental today to schedule your appointment.
