Postural Changes When Wearing Clear Aligners like Invisalign®
Clear teeth aligners and posture!? Now that is a pair. Not necessarily a pair you’d put together though! Oxford teeth aligners are popular 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 flexible. The clear aligner wearer can take them out whenever he or she wishes to remove them. Wearers obtain some control of the procedure. All is good, and yet the treatment planning like that of Invisalign® is newer technology. Everyone is finding out more about it. Satterwhite Chiropractic had not imagined that orthodontic and Oxford chiropractic treatment plans might come in contact with each other. Surprise!
TOOTH ALIGNMENT TREATMENT AND PLANNING
Most Oxford chiropractic patients recall (too well for some!) the classic fixed appliances (braces) used in orthodontics to straighten teeth. Many Oxford orthodontic patients lived with them! Research writes that in using Invisalign® technology, tooth type and movement are important factors to consider when the treatment plan is arranged. Invisalign® technology allows clinicians to predict tooth positions with high accuracy when done in nonextraction cases, but some of the real outcomes may differ from those expectations. Most variances were not clinically relevant though. (1) Malocclusion (a misalignment or faulty relationship between the teeth of the top and bottom teeth when they come close to each other when the jaws close) plays a role in teeth straightening treatment planning. In a comparison study of Invisalign® to these conventional fixed appliances for mild to moderate malocclusion issues, they both addressed the condition. Invisalign® wearers finished faster (by 5.7 months!). Invisalign® improvement was not as “great” in efficacy 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 need to be given extra consideration particularly if a jaw surgery is being considered. (3) Satterwhite Chiropractic is fine 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 points out that clear, occlusal coverage aligners like Invisalign® may well affect body posture. The upper spine and lower spine sections are involved. After 6 months of wearing these clear aligners, the Kyphosis Angle, the Upper Thoracic Inclination and Pelvic Inclination were changed. It has been documented that these clear aligners change a wearer’s vertical height due to the occlusal coverage over the teeth and, consequently, stimulate periodontal receptors obstructing the jaw closing muscles and, likely, changing mandibular posture. (4) Satterwhite Chiropractic is as astonished 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.
