Postural Changes When Wearing Clear Aligners like Invisalign®

Clear teeth aligners and posture!?  Now that’s a pair. Not necessarily a pair you’d put together though! Burlington and Hamilton teeth aligners are common now. Spinal Care Clinic sees many Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients who have decided to use these new devices to adjust teeth. They are virtually imperceptible. They are flexible. The clear aligner wearer can take them out whenever he or she desires to remove them. Wearers get some control of the procedure. All is good, and yet the treatment planning like that of Invisalign® is newer technology. Everyone is learning more about it. Spinal Care Clinic hadn’t thought that orthodontic and Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic treatment plans might come in contact with each other. Surprise!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT TREATMENT AND PLANNING

Most Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients recall (too well for some!)  the classic fixed appliances (braces) used by orthodontists to straighten teeth. Many Burlington and Hamilton orthodontic patients lived with them! Research presents that in using Invisalign® technology, tooth type and movement are important issues to think about when the treatment plan is arranged. Invisalign® technology allows clinicians to calculate tooth positions with high accuracy when done in nonextraction cases, but some of the actual outcomes may differ from those calculations. Most variances were not clinically relevant though. (1) Malocclusion (a misalignment or imprecise relationship between the teeth of the two dental arches when they near each other as the jaws close) changes teeth straightening treatment planning. When comparing Invisalign aligners to conventional fixed appliances for mild to moderate malocclusion issues, they both addressed the condition. Invisalign® wearers completed their care faster (by 5.7 months!). Invisalign® improvement wasn’t as “great” in effectiveness as fixed appliances. (2) One study planned to determine relationships between body posture in the sagittal profile and sagittal jaw position. The mandible (lower jaw)  has a greater influence on body posture than other craniofacial parameters, so patients with severe malocclusions ought to be given extra consideration particularly if a jaw surgery is being proposed. (3) Spinal Care Clinic is fine with having the Burlington and Hamilton orthodontists determine this!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT WITH INVISALIGN AND POSTURE

But Spinal Care Clinic is ready to help when posture issues arise in the process of aligning teeth . A recent study reports that clear, occlusal coverage aligners like Invisalign® may well affect body posture. The upper spine and lower spine sections are involved. When clear aligner wearers were examined after 6 months of use, the Kyphosis Angle, the Upper Thoracic Inclination and Pelvic Inclination were altered.  It’s been documented that these clear aligners adjust a wearer’s vertical height due to the occlusal coverage over the teeth and, then, stimulate periodontal receptors inhibiting the jaw closing muscles and, quite possibly, changing  mandibular posture. (4) Spinal Care Clinic is as amazed as our Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients with all that is possible with these clear aligners! Spinal Care Clinic is aware of this potential and keeps it in mind when examining Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic patients who wear these.

CONTACT Spinal Care Clinic

Schedule a Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic visit at Spinal Care Clinic to examine your posture whether you are wearing Invisalign® or not! Spinal Care Clinic works with all kinds of pairs related to the spine and posture! Burlington and Hamilton chiropractic services cover all bases from the exam to the diagnosis to the treatment with spinal manipulation, diet, supplementation and exercise to the postural and rehabilitation tips to get your spine healthy and keep it that way.