Postural Changes When Wearing Clear Aligners like Invisalign®

Clear teeth aligners and posture!?  Now there’s a pair. Not necessarily a pair you would put together though! Richmond teeth aligners are popular today. Johnson Chiropractic sees many Richmond chiropractic patients who have decided to use these new devices to adjust teeth. They are almost unseen. They are bendable. The clear aligner wearer can take them out whenever he or she desires to remove them. 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. Johnson Chiropractic hadn’t thought that orthodontic and Richmond chiropractic treatment plans might cross paths. Surprise!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT TREATMENT AND PLANNING

Most Richmond chiropractic patients recall (too well for some!)  the classic fixed appliances (braces) used in orthodontics to straighten teeth. Many Richmond orthodontic patients experienced them firsthand! Research writes 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 forecast 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 imprecise relationship of the teeth of the two dental arches when they near each other as the jaws close) affects 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 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 extended extra attention especially if a jaw surgery is being proposed. (3) Johnson Chiropractic is in line with having the Richmond orthodontists determine this!

TOOTH ALIGNMENT WITH INVISALIGN AND POSTURE

But Johnson Chiropractic 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 influence body posture. The the upper and lower spine units are involved. After 6 months of wearing these clear aligners, the Kyphosis Angle, the Upper Thoracic Inclination and Pelvic Inclination were changed.  It’s been reported that these clear aligners modify a wearer’s vertical height due to the aligners placement over the teeth and, then, stimulate periodontal receptors obstructing the jaw closing muscles and, likely, altering  mandibular posture. (4) Johnson Chiropractic is as astonished as our Richmond chiropractic patients with all that is possible with these clear aligners! Johnson Chiropractic is aware of this potential and keeps it in mind when examining Richmond chiropractic patients who wear these.

CONTACT Johnson Chiropractic

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