The transparent teeth aligner, or its common name the ‘gutter’, is an invisible orthodontic solution, a fairly recent technology that has quickly taken its place at the top of dentistry technologies. These are gutters, kinds of shells made of transparent plastic, and therefore invisible, which envelop the teeth and whose purpose is to realign them until an optimal alignment is obtained for a perfect smile.

WHAT IS A GUTTER?

The gutter is removable and transparent, it allows Dr. Maarek to change a malposition of the teeth in order to realign them properly. The only point to emphasize is that if the patient wants good results, he will have to get involved in the treatment and follow it completely until the end.

He must wear his tray 22/24, only remove it to eat and brush his teeth, then put it back on and sleep with it.

ADVANTAGES :

• invisible
• Painless
• Removable
• Comfortable

IT ALWAYS COMES BACK TO SMILING

As already said several times, a beautiful smile is something everyone dreams of, unfortunately few people really have such a smile. This is where orthodontics comes in, the dental specialty whose goal is to correct teeth and jaws with alignment problems.

THE “RAILWAYS IN THE MOUTH”

A beautiful smile means white, well-aligned teeth that are equal in size and shape. For decades, several kinds of corrective appliances have existed, such as braces or fixed orthodontic appliances. The problem with these is that they are way too visible in the face and really don’t look good.

Most people who use them, especially teenagers and young adults, really don’t like these devices. They are ashamed of it because, according to them, it « disfigures » them, they are afraid of the mocking looks of others. This undermines their credibility and self-confidence.

Teenagers are afraid of other people’s remarks about their « railway in the mouth », and adults on their side really don’t want to be compared to teenagers!

CAUSES OF MISALIGNED TEETH

• Staggered, uneven jaw
• Lack of space (teeth too tight)
• Too large spaces between the teeth
• Bruxism (teeth grinding)
• Offset between upper and lower teeth

INVISIBLE ORTHODONTICS

This is why research has been done in dentistry for several years to find new solutions developed a little over twenty years ago and are encompassed under the name of invisible orthodontics.

Gutter installation (teeth aligner) is one of our specialties.
Make an appointment .

INVISIBLE ALIGNERS

Invisible aligners, or as they are also called, “teeth aligners”, are aligners made of transparent plastic. They are made using 3D modeling technology, which has existed for more than 20 years, and has very quickly become one of the most widely used around the world. There are several, like ClearCorrect Invisalign, D-Aligners.

HOW ARE GUTTERS MADE?

The gutters are created to measure for each patient according to the problem of his teeth and according to the impressions of his teeth. Each gutter is only created for a fortnight, then it is replaced by another very slightly different one, also for a fortnight, following well-defined sequences starting from the 3D model to arrive at a perfect alignment of the teeth. It is these slight changes in each successive aligner that allow the progressive realignment of the teeth.

HOW LONG DOES THE TREATMENT LAST?

Of course, such changes do not happen overnight. The splint treatment lasts on average between 3 and 18 months, it all depends on the changes to be made. It is completely painless.

HOW IT WORKS ?

The trays must be worn regularly and without interruption for at least 20 to 22 hours each day, and yes, even when the patient goes to sleep. They are changed regularly every 10 days by Dr. Maarek so that he can make the necessary adjustments to gradually change the position of the teeth and push them in the right direction.

The great advantage of the gutters is that they are removable, that is to say that it is possible to remove them when desired, for example for a wedding, a ceremony, an important work meeting or others. But what is imperative is that the patient absolutely must wear them every day for the number of hours required. If he removes the gutter for an event, he must put it back on immediately afterwards. If he does not wear the tray regularly, the result may well be disappointing.

WHEN CAN THE GUTTERS BE REMOVED?

• To eat
• To brush your teeth
• For special events

POINT-BY-POINT PROCESSING FLOW

1. First appointment for a diagnosis and an evaluation of the dentition to decide if a treatment with transparent gutters is possible.
2. Taking impressions of the dentition and sending to the laboratory with the detailed plan of the decided treatment and the planning for the manufacture of the gutters, plus photos and panoramic X-ray of the patient.
3. Work in the laboratory with special software to determine the position of each tooth in order to better correct their alignment.
4. After about 2 to 3 weeks the patient returns to the dentist for the installation of the first gutter.
5. Every 10 to 15 days the patient comes back for a check-up and for his new gutter.
6. The length of the treatment depends solely on the severity of the necessary corrections and can last between 3 and 18 months.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM GUTTERS?

Everyone can benefit from it, teenagers as adults, it is not the age that is important but the health of the patient’s jaw and teeth.

At the first appointment we will make an in-depth diagnosis of the patient plus a panoramic X-ray to see if there are no contraindications to the fitting of gutters, and if the general health of the patient is good. The biological process of tooth movement is the same for all adult patients, on the other hand in adolescents it is faster since the teeth are still growing.

The installation of gutter does not generally cause speech problems, when there is one it is very light and passes after 24 or 48 hours.