For decades, traditional metal braces were the only option for straightening teeth. In 1998, the FDA approved the first clear aligner orthodontic treatment. Millions of Americans now had an alternative treatment option for addressing crooked teeth.
If new teeth-straightening techniques can be developed, it’s natural to wonder whether alternative home remedies can also deliver attractive teeth.
Are you wondering how to straighten teeth naturally or if alternative remedies even work? Read on to learn how some people try to address crooked teeth on their own.
Tips on How to Straighten Teeth Naturally
There’s no guarantee that any treatment that doesn’t rely on proven dental technology will work. But that hasn’t stopped people from trying to address crowded or misaligned teeth on their own. Here are some of the more common non-medical techniques that are used.
Finger Pressure
Braces and clear aligners use pressure to reposition teeth, so it makes intuitive sense that other forms of pressure could similarly move teeth. Some people will use their fingers to push recessed teeth forward or to try to twist teeth into straighter positions.
This technique will not deliver noticeable cosmetic results, though. Our fingers are too soft to exert significant amounts of pressure, and you’re more likely to hurt your hand than to have any measurable effect on your teeth’s positions.
Pushing With Your Tongue
People who have misaligned teeth often notice that they obsessively rub their tongue over their crooked teeth. It’s an involuntary habit and a sign that you should seek professional orthodontic clear aligner treatments.
Tiny but mighty, even the tongue does not have the strength to nudge teeth into better alignment. The surface of the tongue is broad and soft, which makes it unable to exert consistent pressure in one direction.
Dental Floss or Rubber Bands
One of the most dangerous DIY teeth-straightening methods involves using floss. Folks who have gaps between their teeth, commonly known as diastema, have been known to try to close those gaps by using floss or rubber bands to pull the gapped teeth closer to each other.
Unlike the methods listed above, tying string or rubber bands can exert significant levels of pressure on teeth, but there is no way to control how much force you are exerting. The results can leave teeth loose, chipped, or broken. Professional orthodontic treatments carefully place specific amounts of force to allow for micromovements over months or even years.
If you are considering this DIY, you could be endangering your oral health and risking losing one or more teeth.
Why Don’t These Methods Work?
When you place pressure on a crooked tooth, you may think that pushing it places the same type of force on the tooth as braces. Unfortunately, this isn’t true.
Metal braces and clear aligners nudge teeth continuously throughout the day. Orthodontic treatments are designed to focus force on specific areas of your teeth over months or even years. No DIY method can replicate the complex and intricate work that Alignerco’s technicians can.
Our proven and cost-effective treatments deliver drastic cosmetic results. Read on to learn how.
How Alignerco Works
Fortunately, there is a teeth-straightening treatment that can be performed at home. Adults are busy, and many of our patients are understandably looking for treatment options that don’t require time-consuming and costly visits to the dentist or orthodontist.
For folks who want to straighten teeth, our custom clear aligners offer a treatment option that can be completed in as little as a few months.
Make an Impression
The first step involves making a dental impression using our easy at-home impression kit. The initial impression kit is mailed to your doorstep.
You can make the moulds of your teeth by following the easy instructions which come with the kit or contact our support if you face any difficulty while making your dental impressions and our experts will help you with it.
After you are done making your impressions, you can mail the moulds back to us and we will design a digital treatment plan which, if approved by you, will allow us to continue with the fabrication of your custom-made clear aligners.
Wear Your Clear Aligners
Once your clear aligners arrive at your home, read over some simple instructions and place your first tray. Now, you’re on your way to a more attractive smile!
You may feel gentle pressure on certain parts of your teeth. This pressure is what allows your teeth to slowly and predictably move into better alignment. After a few weeks, you’ll begin to notice a difference in the appearance of your smile.
You will have to change the aligner trays after every few days as each new tray is straighter than the previous one and helps to align your teeth in a much better way.
Follow a Few Easy Steps
Our custom clear aligners are easy to clean and maintain. Remove the aligners when you are eating. Try to avoid letting food particles accumulate inside the aligners.
When you brush your teeth, use warm water and a toothbrush to clean your clear aligners. This will protect your oral health and keep the trays clear.
Remember to wear your aligners at night. Failure to wear your clear aligners for 22 hours a day could delay your treatment timeline.
Follow the instructions that you are provided with. If you have any questions or concerns, contact our friendly team. Once your treatment has been completed, one of our team members will give you a pair of retainers that you should wear nightly to preserve your cosmetic results.
Schedule Your Alignerco Treatment Today
Now that we’ve looked at several ways how to straighten teeth naturally, it’s clear that only professional orthodontic treatments can predictable and safely straighten teeth. Alignerco offers many of the conveniences of DIY treatments (no visits to the dentist, at-home treatments) while guaranteeing that you will experience predictable cosmetic results.
We can’t wait to help you realize the smile of your dreams. Take our free online smile assessment today to get the process started.
