Postural Changes When Wearing Clear Aligners like Invisalign®

Clear teeth aligners and posture!?  Now there is a pair. Not necessarily a pair you would put together though! Oxford teeth aligners are standard nowadays. Satterwhite Chiropractic meets many Oxford chiropractic patients who have decided to use these new devices to adjust teeth. They are nearly invisible. They are bendable. They come out when the clear aligner wearer needs to take them out. Wearers obtain some control of the process. All is good, and yet the treatment planning like that of Invisalign® is newer technology. Everyone is learning more about it. Satterwhite Chiropractic had not thought that orthodontic and Oxford chiropractic treatment plans might cross paths. Surprise!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT TREATMENT AND PLANNING

Most Oxford chiropractic patients remember (too well for some!)  the classic fixed appliances (braces) used by orthodontists to straighten teeth. Many Oxford orthodontic patients lived with them! Research writes that in using Invisalign® technology, tooth type and movement are key issues to ponder when the treatment plan is set. Invisalign® technology permits clinicians to forecast tooth positions with high accuracy when done in nonextraction cases, but some of the real outcomes may vary from those calculations. Most variances were not clinically relevant though. (1) Malocclusion (a misalignment or incorrect relationship between the teeth of the top and bottom teeth when they near each other as the jaws close) influences 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 was not as “great” in efficacy as fixed appliances. (2) One study set out to determine correlations between body posture in the sagittal profile and sagittal jaw position. The mandible (lower jaw)  has a greater effect on body posture than other craniofacial parameters, so patients with severe malocclusions need to be given extra attention especially if a jaw surgery is being proposed. (3) Satterwhite Chiropractic is in line with having the Oxford orthodontists determine this!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT WITH INVISALIGN AND POSTURE

But Satterwhite Chiropractic is fine when called upon to help with any posture issues that arise. A recent study reports that clear, occlusal coverage aligners like Invisalign® may well sway body posture. The upper spine and lower spine sections are influenced. When clear aligner wearers were examined after 6 months of use, the Kyphosis Angle, the Upper Thoracic Inclination and Pelvic Inclination were modified.  It has been documented that these clear aligners modify a wearer’s vertical height due to the occlusal coverage over the teeth and, consequently, stimulate periodontal receptors inhibiting the jaw closing muscles and, quite possibly, changing  mandibular posture. (4) Satterwhite Chiropractic is as amazed as our Oxford chiropractic patients with all that is possible with these clear aligners! Satterwhite Chiropractic is aware of this potential and keeps it in mind when examining Oxford chiropractic patients who wear these.

CONTACT Satterwhite Chiropractic

Schedule a Oxford chiropractic visit at Satterwhite Chiropractic to examine your posture whether you are wearing Invisalign® or not! Satterwhite Chiropractic works with all kinds of pairs related to the spine and posture! Oxford 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.