Clear Braces: Stories

I went to my dentist here in the United Kingdom originally seeking the new dental appliance, the Inman aligner. However, this dental appliance is an option for people who only want to improve the front 5/6 teeth. My biggest concern was primarily my top front tooth being rotated, the dentist told me however, as a result of one or two of my teeth needing to be pulled down I was not suitable for the Inman aligner. I therefore was given the option of standard braces, invisalign or the British equivalent 'Clearstep'.

My dentist was more inclined and readily putting me forward for invisalign treatment. I had done my homework on the Invisalign appliance and knew the requirements; for example tooth shaving, buttons etc However, I had researched on the interent the device clearstep, which is effectively a copy of Invisalign, with Invisalign being an American company. My dentist however had told me a number of things which had persuaded me to go for Clearstep instead of Invisalign:

-Clearstep are a British company, and I thought should I need amendments/ changes in my aligner process this could happen more quickly.

-Clearstep was £2800 rather than the offered £3200 for invisalign top and bottom.

-Should I require buttons, which I havn't yet and im only on my 2nd day of my 1st aligner, the buttons will be placed on the inside of my teeth, rather than on the front as with invisalign.

-With Clearstep I get 8 aligners per box, changing the aligner every two weeks, therefore I only have to visit the Dentist roughly every 4 months.

Therefore, there are options outside of invisalign in terms of clear braces, and the reasons I listed above are the reasons why I chose Clearstep personally.

In terms of my first day spent with the device (yesterday), there was not a great deal of discomfort, the only problem I had with the aligner's was trying to pull them out to eat, the first day was particularly uncomfortable I must say. However, I added to this with my constant diet of 6/7 meals a day, as I am a daily gym goer and very active person, therefore I can not switch back to 3 meals a day. My dentist told me as a result of this constant grazing, brush my teeth 3/4 times daily with flossing, and after the other meals just brush with water only.

It is only my second day with the first aligner and I have no discomfort at all, they pop in and out very easily and I feel my teeth have already shifted into the desired position set by the first aligner, however, I have another 13 days to cement this position until aligner two.

I will keep everyone updated with the progress I make, and if you live in the United Kingdom, Clearstep may be a cheaper option of getting clear braces.