Now, metal braces give way to customized dental aligners

Hyderabad: Until recently, teens sporting metal braces to 'correct' the shape of their teeth was commonplace; but not anymore. Giving those 'not-so-pretty' looks a miss, the young lot is now taking to transparent dental aligners - made of plastic and customized to help 'set' the teeth - to make that perfect cut.

And this despite their fancy price tags. While a regular pair of metal braces come for not more than Rs 20,000 (or less), these new-age aligners are priced at anywhere between Rs 60,000 and Rs 2 lakh. Duration of use: 3 to 48 months!

But apart from being 'trendy', experts claim that this product - touted as a perfect substitute for conventional braces - comes with several advantages as well.

To begin with, those using these aligners do not face the discomfort of food particles sticking to their teeth or find it problematic to brush, as these dental aligners are removable.

"Though they are a little costly, the benefits they offer make it worth every paisa. Besides aesthetics and convenience, they work very well in correcting around eight different dental alignment issues like crowding, spacing, overbite, cross bite, etc," said Dr Sameena Ali, cosmetic dental surgeon, Ali's Dentistree, Banjara Hills.

Explaining the procedures involved in getting a custom-made transparent dental aligner, she said that the impressions, photographs and radiographs of the patient's teeth are digitally analyzed and reviewed - to zero in on the correct positions -- before it is finally made by the manufacturers.

Some experts, however, expressed their reservations with the use of this technique. "The biggest drawback is that teeth alignment in this case takes place through computer simulation and is not monitored at regular intervals as is the case with the traditional method, which actually gives an opportunity for dentists to adjust the teeth according to a patient's requirement," explained Dr Venkatesh V, consultant dentist, Apollo Health City.

Not surprisingly, the invisible dental aligners are said to be popular especially among those patients who cannot make regular visits to dentist or those from abroad where the same treatment costs manifold.

"For those who can come to their dentist frequently, the conventional alignment with metal braces is still popular," said Dr A Srikanth, secretary, Indian Dental Association, Deccan Branch.