The digital age has given us supreme convenience. From the comfort of our couches, we can wield our mighty thumbs to summon strangers who pick up our groceries, deliver us food, and run our errands. We can even stream films that are currently showing in movie theaters. But we can also handle our orthodontic needs via the internet. Were you aware? It’s true. With a few swipes and flicks, you can have clear aligners delivered right to your door. Sounds great, right? But there are many advantages to seeing an orthodontist in person. More specifically, here are 5 things you won’t get with mail-order orthodontics. And after you familiarize yourself with these services, your next step will be to make an appointment at one of the 3 Innovative Orthodontics locations: Savannah, Rincon, or Pooler.
Defining Mail-Order Orthodontics
When you see a commercial for mail-order aligners, the narrative often centers around certain advantages. The commercial or ad might tell you that mail-order orthodontic products are more affordable. They’ll also boast that mail-order is more convenient. After all, you don’t have to commute to an office, wait in line, or struggle through an exam. Who wouldn’t want to sign up for something that good?
If you sign up for mail-order orthodontics, you’ll have to take a virtual exam. You’ll have to apply and get approved. Once that happens, the company will mail you a kit. The kit will include directions on how to make a 3D mold of your teeth. Next, you’ll mail the kit back. A technician or dentist will implement that mold to develop aligners for you. Each new set of aligners will slowly move your teeth into the ideal position.
As with in-office procedures, wearing each in this series of aligners can take some time. You will likely be wearing the aligners for several months. Concurrently with this treatment, you’ll take photographs of your teeth. This will allow the technician working with you to verify that your teeth are being moved into the right position. Seems legit, right? Unfortunately, Orthodontists like Dr. Clayton and Dr. Waters aren’t convinced. Mail-order orthodontics come with risks that can complicate your overall dental health. Here’s why you should trust an orthodontic practice like Innovative Orthodontics.
Cheaper and Faster
Spend a little money on mail-order orthodontics and you’ll save some money. You’re exchanging seasoned, practical expertise for convenience and cost. A mail-order plan gives you no access to a Board Certified Professional. The mail-order approach attempts to solve a problem by using an assembly line. But our Innovative Orthodontics team takes a patient-first approach. We give you access to premier orthodontics care in the Pooler, Rincon, and Savannah areas. Mail-order is convenient. But that doesn’t mean it’s the best. Plus, Innovative Orthodontics understands cost. We’ll work with you to find the best plan that you can afford. We strive to offer treatment for even the tightest budgets.
No Substitute For an In-Person Exam
No Substitute For an In-Person ExamMail-order orthodontics aren’t thorough. They don’t provide your teeth with the meticulous eye that they deserve. In one of our Innovative offices, Dr. Clayton and Dr. Waters will use state-of-the-art technology to photograph and X-ray your bite. Digital scans and X-rays render gunky impressions obsolete. And while mail-order aligners might indeed straighten your teeth, they cannot determine if there are other issues present. Our team will check for possible gum disease, cavities, or other abnormalities. Furthermore, what happens if you submit your at-home impression and a technician decides that you don’t qualify for aligners? In one of our offices, you could have a conversation with a real orthodontist who could give you next steps. You can’t get that with mail-order.
Customized Treatment Plans
Another benefit of in-office orthodontics care is early detection. Detecting an apparently small tooth problem today can prevent it from getting out of control tomorrow. Mail-order aligners, and the techs who develop them, are not screening your mouth for issues. Some people require more in-depth treatment than clear aligners are equipped to handle. Moreover, what if you spend money on the aligners and they don’t fix the problem? Worse still, what if the mail-order aligners aggravate your teeth or gums and make a tiny problem into a huge one?
At Innovative Orthodontics, your unique individual treatment goals come first. Then, we implement a treatment plan. With the data we discovered during your in-office visit, as well as the images of your jaw, we can make a customized treatment protocol just for you.
A Professional Overseeing Your Treatment
If you opt for mail-order orthodontics, you can’t check in with your technician. There’s no way for you to observe what’s going on with your teeth. And even if there was, chances are you aren’t an orthodontist. I mean, really. Would you be reading this if you were? Since you don’t have any professional orthodontic oversight, like the kind you’d get at Innovative Orthodontics, you can’t account for unforeseen circumstances.
Seeking Treatment for Other Problems
Mail-order orthodontics cannot address issues that happen under your teeth. Without X-Rays and digital imaging, you cannot know what’s going on with your gums and your jaw. Attempting to remedy a tooth alignment problem without knowing what’s happening beneath the gums could make the problem much worse. Furthermore, it could even cause an injury. An exam by either Dr. Clayton and Dr. Waters could account for issues beyond the one you’re trying to treat with mail-order interventions.
Try Something More Innovative Than Mail-Order
Try Something More Innovative Than Mail-Order Scrap the mail-order orthodontics. Instead, come into an Innovative Orthodontics office in either Pooler, Rincon, or Savannah. Go here to sign up for a free consult.