Postural Changes When Wearing Clear Aligners like Invisalign®

Clear teeth aligners and posture!?  Now that’s a pair. Not necessarily a pair you would put together though! Groton teeth aligners are popular today. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office meets many Groton chiropractic patients who have chosen to use these new devices to straighten teeth. They are nearly invisible. They are bendable. The clear aligner wearer can take them out whenever he or she needs 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. Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office hadn’t thought that orthodontic and Groton chiropractic treatment plans might come in contact with each other. Surprise!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT TREATMENT AND PLANNING

Most Groton chiropractic patients remember (too well for some!)  the classic fixed appliances (braces) used in orthodontics to straighten teeth. Many Groton orthodontic patients experienced them firsthand! Research reports that in using Invisalign® technology, tooth type and movement are crucial elements to ponder when the treatment plan is arranged. Invisalign® technology allows clinicians to forecast tooth positions with high accuracy when done in nonextraction cases, but some of the real outcomes may differ from those expectations. Most differences were not clinically relevant though. (1) Malocclusion (a misalignment or incorrect relationship of the teeth of the top and bottom teeth when they near each other as the jaws close) changes teeth straightening treatment planning. In a comparison study of Invisalign® to these conventional fixed appliances for mild to moderate malocclusion issues, they both improved 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 set out to determine relationships 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 factors, so patients with severe malocclusions need to be given extra consideration particularly if a jaw surgery is being proposed. (3) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is in line with having the Groton orthodontists determine this!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT WITH INVISALIGN AND POSTURE

But Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office 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 affected. 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 reported that these clear aligners change a wearer’s vertical height due to the occlusal coverage over the teeth and, subsequently, stimulate periodontal receptors hindering the jaw closing muscles and, quite possibly, changing  mandibular posture. (4) Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is as amazed as our Groton chiropractic patients with everything that is possible with these clear aligners! Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office is aware of this potential and keeps it in mind when examining Groton chiropractic patients who wear these.

CONTACT Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office

Schedule a Groton chiropractic visit at Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office to examine your posture whether you are wearing Invisalign® or not! Shoreline Medical Services/ Hutter Chiropractic Office works with all kinds of pairs related to the spine and posture! Groton 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.