Clear Aligners Glossary
Thinking about straightening your teeth without the look of traditional braces? At AZ Dental Office Laguna Hills, we are proud to offer comprehensive dental care that supports both the health and appearance of your smile. One popular option we provide is clear aligners in Laguna Hills, CA, a discreet and effective way to correct misalignment, improve bite function, and help you achieve a straighter smile on your schedule.
Types of Aligners
- Clear Aligners: Transparent, removable orthodontic appliances that gradually straighten teeth.
- Invisalign: A popular brand of clear aligners.
- Attachments: Small, tooth-colored bumps that are bonded to teeth to help the aligners grip and move teeth more effectively.
- Trays: (Also called “aligners”) A series of custom-made, removable appliances worn over the teeth to gradually shift them into proper alignment.
Treatment Process
- Aligners: A series of custom-made aligners that are worn sequentially to move teeth into the desired position.
- ClinCheck: Invisalign’s software that creates a 3D simulation of the tooth movement plan.
- Compliance: Wearing the aligners for the recommended daily wear time (typically 20-22 hours).
- Initial Consultation: The first appointment in which the dentist or orthodontist evaluates your teeth and discusses treatment options.
- Impressions: A mold taken of the prepared tooth to create a custom-made aligner (trays).
- iTero: A brand of 3D intraoral scanner used to create digital impressions of teeth.
- Refinements: Additional aligners provided after the initial treatment to fine-tune tooth position.
- Retention: Wearing retainers after treatment to maintain the new tooth position.
- Scanning: Creating a digital 3D model of your teeth using an intraoral scanner.
- 3D Imaging: Technology used to create a three-dimensional model of the teeth and jaws for treatment planning.
Related Terms
- Crowding: When there is not enough space in the jaw for all the teeth to align properly.
- Malocclusion: Misalignment of the teeth or jaws.
- Open Bite: When the upper and lower front teeth do not overlap when the mouth is closed.
- Overbite: When the upper front teeth overlap the lower front teeth excessively.
- Overjet: When the upper front teeth protrude horizontally over the lower front teeth.
- Spacing: Gaps or spaces between teeth.
- Underbite: When the lower front teeth protrude in front of the upper front teeth.