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How can I straighten my teeth with clear aligners?

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Option #1: Invisalign

Invisalign

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is an orthodontic treatment that uses clear, plastic aligners to straighten your teeth instead of traditional metal braces. When you start Invisalign, a 3-D digital scan is made of your teeth. This scan is then used to make a series of clear trays that fit perfectly to your mouth. The scan also allows our doctors to show you what your smile will look like when all your teeth and your bite are perfectly aligned! It’s like an HGTV before-and-after, but for your smile!
These various trays are switched out, approximately every week, to gradually shift your teeth into their proper position over time. Invisalign works similarly to braces – making small changes to your teeth – without any metal.
In addition to being less noticeable because clear aligners are – surprise – clear, they’re much less noticeable than braces. They can also be easily removed, until the brackets and wires of traditional orthodontic treatment, so if you’re in a work meeting, gearing up to put on a show, or are going on a date, simply take your aligners out and pop them back in after.
Another perk of Invisalign and other clear aligner treatment is that your trays can be removed while you’re eating. Chow down on those tasty Kilwin’s caramel apples tacos, crunch Poppy’s Popcorn, and drink that coffee from High Five – all without worrying what it’ll do to your teeth or braces. With Invisalign, you simply take your aligners out before you eat and drink. After you’re done snacking, brush your teeth and return your aligners to their home in your mouth!

Option #2: Impressions+

What is Impressions+?

Impressions is a hybrid at-home clear aligner treatment that offers some in-office visits to monitor progress, but saves you time and money because most of your treatment takes place at home. How is that possible? You start your Impressions+ journey with an in-office, complimentary consultation.
Impressions was created by Dr. Luke Roberts, the founder of Blue Ridge Orthodontics, to give patients a more affordable alternative to Invisalign that would fit better with busy schedules.
Impressions has the perks of Invisalign (high quality aligners, digital scans, and years of experience) with the benefit of mail-order clear aligners (completing treatment at home on your scheduled), plus a team of doctors and a personal concierge that you can call with any questions or concerns. Impressions also has the benefit of seeing a doctor for your very first visit, eliminating the pressure of taking your own mold of your teeth and giving you a real, live professional you can express all questions, concerns and smile hopes to. Impressions is more affordable than traditional in-office Invisalign, but has all the same benefits.
What happens if something goes wrong with my at-home clear aligners? With Impressions, all you have to do is call us. Impressions is priced to only include 2-3 office visits to save you money, but if you need to come in and see us, you have that option. We have a fee for visits outside of those included appointments so that you can quickly and easily get all your questions answered.
Will Impressions at-home aligners work for you? Find out by texting your teeth to the team at Blue Ridge Orthodontics @ 828-844-0349. Here’s how:

Ready to schedule a consult? Pick your day and time online in seconds. 

 

 

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Dr. Roberts, founder of Blue Ridge Orthodontics, has created his own at-home teeth-straightening kit

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Dr. T. Luke Roberts, D.M.D., M.S.D., founder and leader of the Blue Ridge Orthodontics practice located in Asheville, Brevard, and Hendersonville, has been on a journey of smiles for quite a number of years.

“Having grown up in a medical family who spent our summers working on medical missions, I knew that I wanted to work in a field that has a positive impact on the lives of others. Because of my exposure to patients with cleft lip and palate during those medical missions, I was drawn to the phenomenal change that improving the smile can have on people,” says Dr. Roberts. “I once participated in the cleft lip repair of a 68-year-old woman in the Dominican Republic — and the happiness and gratitude that she showed when we were finished has stuck with me since that day. I chose orthodontics because I knew I would be able to create that positive change in self-image for people every day.”

Seeing how his patients’ smiles change for the better is a daily joy for Dr. Roberts.

As the owner of Blue Ridge Orthodontics, devoted husband, and active father to his children, Quinn, Emma, and Charlie, Dr. Roberts understands the struggle of not being able to find extra time in your day. He knew there were adults that desired a straighter smile but had not been able to find the time to invest in the frequent appointments that traditional treatment options like braces and Invisalign required. This is what lead Dr. Roberts to think about creating an at-home treatment option.

Dr. Roberts, Asheville, NC at-home teeth-straightening kit

When researching the current market for at-home aligner companies, Dr. Roberts saw some common shortcomings:

#1  Lack of Access to Professionals

Other at-home aligner companies were facilitated by a one-time trip to a mobile practitioner, or even a singular virtual visit. The doctors planning treatment for a lot of the other at-home aligner companies are actually just dentists who have taken a three-day course on clear aligners. Orthodontists complete dental school and then complete additional years of school to learn how to safely and accurately straighten your teeth to give you a smile you’re proud of without causing future issues. 

On top of the other companies’ treatment being planned by less experienced doctors, meaning there is no course correction if something does not go as planned. This could lead to months of improper alignment that significantly disrupts their path to a perfect smile, not to mention the money lost in the process, and even potential permanent damage to teeth and bite. Teeth can do things we do not expect. That’s why it’s important to do semi-regular check-ins and to have the option to call your orthodontist to ensure that everything is moving in line.

#2  DIY Mold Kits

These at-home programs begin with a molding kit sent to you to make your own DIY impression for your aligners. When you only have one shot and it’s your first attempt at making a mold of your teeth, it is quite common for the DIY impression to be inaccurate. It’s risky business basing all of the aligners off a less than perfect craft experiment.

With Impressions, we can deliver accuracy each time, because we always start treatment with a 3D iTero of your teeth! It’s quick, painless and carried out by a trained professional. The scan also doesn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth like the putty from the at-home impressions kits do. After your 3-D scan, you’ll also get to see what your teeth will look like after treatment before you ever get started or pay for anything. Other at-home aligner companies don’t offer this.

#3  High Chance of Unsatisfying Results

Surely one of the most intriguing qualities of at-home kits is the low price tag. However, without supervision and professional advice it is not common for patients to get to the last aligner and still have hope for more. Then, these patients will have to go to an orthodontist and course-correct using costly treatment – something they were trying to avoid.

This is not an issue with Impressions. Impressions is 50% cheaper than traditional Invisalign without the sacrifice of quality that comes with these other at-home aligner programs.

 

The Answer to At-Home Clear Aligner Care: Impressions

by Blue Ridge Orthodontics

Our at-home treatment promises to hold our high standards on treatment and quality of care.

– Fewer appointments but unlimited access to our diamond-level providers
Impressions Doctors

Impressions treatment is planned by our Diamond-level Invisalign providers at Blue Ridge Orthodontics. This assures our patients that they will have the best and most effective clear aligner treatment. Impressions only requires three trips to the office, but we welcome any call, virtual appointment, or additional office visit to check that everything is moving as it should! You should not get to the end of treatment and think, “I was expecting something better than this.” If a worry arises at any time during treatment, Dr. Roberts and our top-tier treatment team are just a call away.

Click here to learn more about the Impressions team of doctors.

– Lower cost, without sacrificing quality

Impressions is 50% cheaper than Invisalign but made with the same high-quality material. It means our trays are more durable and will not buckle under the pressure of everyday wear like some of “the other guys.”

–  Smile guarantee

We guarantee that you will be satisfied with your smile at the end of your treatment plan. If not, we will continue to work until you are.

–  Convenience

Did we mention that your treatment is delivered straight to your doorstep 6-10 weeks after your 3D scan? With the help of your step-by-step guide, everything included in your Impressions kit, and the Impressions team that you can email and call with any questions, you’ll breeze through your treatment at home.

Impressions+

Upgrade to Impressions+ for even more!

With Impressions+ you get more appointments with your Blue Ridge Orthodontics team, plus the ability to treat more advanced smile issues; AND you get all that for 25% less than comprehensive Invisalign.

Click here to learn more about Impressions+.

Ready to choose Impressions for your at-home care? 

It’s easy to get started! Click here to fill out the form below to schedule your free initial consultation. Our doctors will answer any of your questions about the Impressions process and will then assess your teeth and smile, and look at specific areas that may be a cause for concern. We offer virtual and in-person consultations, so no matter how busy you are, there’s an option that will work for you!

 

Your journey to your #ImpressionSmile starts when you open that box! Your life will never be the same – enjoy it! 

Impression Smile

 

Impressions Consultation (1)

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How Do Your Teeth Move?

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By Dr. Tyler Twomley

 

There are many mysteries in the universe. Who built Stonehenge? Is Pluto a planet or not? One question you may ponder is – how do teeth move? Tooth movement is a complex science. There are many factors that affect how and when a tooth can move.

Seen enough? Click here to book your free consultation with BRO

Orthodontist in North Carolina shows how braces move the teeth

Still with us? Alright, let’s break it down…

To get a tooth to move, you need a combination of these three components: force, time, and space. Put any amount of force on a tooth over a period-of-time and you will see movement, as long there is space to move into. An orthodontist moves your teeth by pushing on them until we are happy and don’t want to push on them anymore.

Let’s Take a Closer Look

On a cellular level, there are a few things happening. Your tooth root is covered with a ligament, surrounded by bone. Pressure is applied to your tooth and it wants to move, but there is bone in the way. To get through the bone, the tooth dissolves some bone and then also replaces some bone.

The tooth uses osteoclasts (think little pac-men) to eat away bone in front of where the tooth will move. After it moves, there is a gap along the backside where the tooth just moved from. The tooth then uses osteoblasts (think road pavers) to lay down new bone along the backside of the tooth.

Orthodontic diagram shows how braces move teeth into alignment

Orthodontists use a combination of either brackets and wires, or clear aligners to apply strategic pressure on certain teeth. At BRO, we carefully craft a treatment plan that outlines where the teeth will move, how they will move, and when to do each movement. Depending on a patient’s bite and smile, teeth may need to move up, down, turn, spin, or rotate.

Ready to get braces?

You can schedule your free initial exam right now!

If we haven’t answered all your questions here, just give us a call at 828-585-6045. The BRO team is here to help.

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