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Special Issues
July/August 2023
Volume 44, Issue 1
Peer-Reviewed

Clear Aligner Therapy Facilitates Desired Smile Improvement

Maria Jackson, DDS

A 19-year-old woman presented with a chief complaint of disliking the spaces in her maxillary arch and the crowding in her mandibular arch. She desired a "fuller-looking smile." Despite having a bilateral class I molar and canine relationship, her mandibular incisors were unevenly supererupted while teeth Nos. 19 and 20 were intruded. After examination, it was determined that the patient's concerns were attributed to the following: (1) a collapsed mandibular arch, specifically on left side, creating a dark buccal corridor; (2) mandibular anterior crowding causing supererupted incisors; (3) minor crowding in the maxillary arch camouflaged by a "space" between Nos. 8 and 9; and (4) tooth size discrepancy of the maxillary lateral and central incisors. The chosen treatment plan utilized both orthodontic and restorative elements, starting with ClearCorrect® clear aligner therapy (Straumann, clearcorrect.com) planned for a 3-month duration. Two months into treatment, the mandibular anteriors were not moving as expected, so revision trays were ordered; the patient finished orthodontics in 6 months total. The treatment was completed with whitening of all teeth and anterior composite restorations on Nos. 7 through 10. The incisal edges of the upper and lower teeth were smoothed to level the patient's occlusal plane, creating a subtle but noticeable difference when she smiled, and a nice esthetic result was achieved.

 

Key Takeaways

Clear aligner therapy may be used to set teeth closer to ideal positions to allow for placement of very conservative restorations.

The use of clear aligner therapy to set teeth into proper occlusion before restorative treatment can allow restorations to last longer in function.

Utilizing a digital workflow with ClearCorrect® makes it simple to monitor a patient's teeth movements and implement corrections as needed to achieve final goals.


About the Author
Maria Jackson, DDS
Private Practice, Forney, Texas; Fellow, Academy of General Dentistry

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