Mail-Order Braces, Invisible Aligners

Just wanted to get an opinion on mail-order invisible aligners from current users, specialists or anyone!

I had pretty straight teeth when I was growing up as a teen. It wasn't until my wisdom teeth started sprouting out, my teeth have gone slightly crooked. I currently have a minor cross bite. My top teeth are relatively straight and it's the bottom teeth that is the main problem.

I've been considering invisalign for a couple of years now but it is quite costly. I recently stumbled upon Wondersmile, a company that specialises with mail-order invisible aligners. You go into the office, then a representative (most likely not a medical professional) would take scans of your teeth. This in turn will be forwarded to an orthodontist to determine whether you are eligible, and if you are, they will provide you with a treatment plan. Once you agree to purchase the aligners, the company will forward you the set of aligners required to produce a perfect smile (hopefully).

I did my scan recently and waiting for a result from the ortho. The benefit of mail-order aligners is that they are a fraction of the cost of invisalign. However, part of me is a bit skeptical on this…e.g. the efficacy, damage to the teeth/gums etc.

Comments

  • +1

    There was an article about this in the paper the other day, there seem to be a couple of other places that do this starting to target the Australian market.
    https://www.smh.com.au/healthcare/diy-dentistry-industry-boo…

    I am tempted. I have had good experiences ordering my eyeglasses from overseas.

    But it is not something I want to be an early adopter for, so personally, I am going to wait a few years and see which companies are still standing then.

  • This product looks like it's going to be a cashcow for orthodontists and oral maxillo-facial surgeons, and will create a new sub-specaility of TMJ doctors.

    You're talking about approximating a very complex bi-articulating bisymmetrical through inaccuracies of the impression taking process and compounding the inaccuracies as the progress cannot be tracked.

    • lol. Are you.. per chance.. a dentist?

      • Could be. It's just poking teeth. (I'm just joking, of course.)

        Same principles apply for all joints, except that the jaw is the only one that crosses the midline. I'm more interested in the TMJ than the teeth.

  • Hows this going for you, did you end up going for it ?

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