Six Month Smiles

Typically, fall and winter tend to be my heaviest time for continuing education. What is continuing education for a dentist? It is a must. As in any profession, learning never stops. If you stop learning, you halt growth both professionally and personally.
Dentistry offers continuing education in every aspect of the profession. Dentists can learn everything from new techniques in “filling” teeth to using Botox. In the next month I am travelling to Detroit to learn some new surgical techniques, New Jersey to learn a different way to do root canals, and Arizona for a refresher course on treatment planning and communication with patients. Travelling and being away from home is not my favorite part of this learning process, but you have to go where the information is.
In the 18 years of continuing my education, I have taken courses that have been career changing and others that were of no interest to me. Recently I was in Indianapolis for an orthodontic course entitled ‘Six Month Smiles’.
Many adult patients are unhappy with crooked teeth. Some of them may have had braces when they were younger and didn’t wear their retainers and others may have never had braces but always wanted straighter teeth. I have numerous adult patients who are currently in braces with an orthodontist. I also have many patients that are not willing to make the commitment to wear metal brackets in their mouth for 2 or more years.
A few years ago I took a course for Invisalign. This is a system that uses scanned impressions of the mouth and provides a series of digitally produced removable clear trays called aligners. The patient wears the trays 24 hours a day and is only supposed to remove them to eat and brush their teeth. The trays are changed every 2 weeks and with each change the teeth are moved. The intended end result is straight teeth. Treatment time depends on the complexity of the movement desired. In my experience, treatment usually takes a year or more.
I have had my frustrations with Invisalign. Certain movements of teeth can be unpredictable. In addition, because the patient can remove the trays, there is a compliance issue. I limited the cases I did to patients who I knew would be compliant and had relatively easy tooth movements.
Six Month Smiles is a system that I am using to replace Invisalign. It uses clear braces and a white wire so they are barely noticeable from speaking distance. And, the patient can’t take them off so it makes the movements more predictable in that regard. Why is it called Six Month Smiles? Treatment is usually completed in 6 months with a range from 4-8 months.
These are considered cosmetic braces. That means that their purpose is to treat the patient’s chief complaint, which is usually crooked front teeth. It does not change the bite relationship and is not intended for people with bite issues. The system is absolutely NOT a replacement for traditional orthodontics in most cases. Traditional orthodontics should always be discussed and considered.
However, this is the perfect solution for many adults. If you wish your front teeth were straight, don’t have gum disease, and don’t have any significant bite issues, this system may be for you. Email me some questions so I can write the answers to them in a future column.