'At home' teeth straightening/aligners

[bendmeoverbackwards]

My dd has a long standing severe dental phobia so much so she currently can't even sit in the chair.

She recently had her teeth checked and cleaned under sedation and all went well thankfully.

She wants to have orthodontic treatment but that obviously involves a lot of appointments if going down the traditional route.

I've seen lots of ads for aligners where it all can be done from home.

Does anyone have any experience please?

I am not a dentist, but I wouldn't do this. It has to be checked by a proper professional to ensure that the teeth move in the right way. They have to make frequent adjustments (hence so many appointments) otherwise the wrong movement of the teeth might create pressure and fractures. Just my personal opinion though.

My friend had invisiline - the actual branded one and they've worked amazing for her. I asked her about cost because Im interested in them for myself and she said they were about £2k.

I've seen a company called Smiles Direct advertising in FB a lot and looked them up to see some reviews and they're terrible.

I would definitely go through a proper dentist or orthodontist to get at home aligners.

Thank you, I thought that might be the case.

My younger daughter had braces fitted by a proper orthodontist in recent years so I know what's involved. Her teeth are lovely and straight now.

Unfortunately going to a dentist or orthodontist is completely out for now with older dd as she won't even sit in the chair. The only way she managed it last time was sedation but she can't be sedated for each 6 weekly appointment.

I actually asked my dentist about all these "at home" things - not because I wanted them, but because I wondered about the ethics of them. (I'm a lecturer and teach digital marketing, and tend to see the ads on Instagram.)

She said not to touch them with a barge pole, and that they are potentially very damaging - we were talking about whitening as well as the aligners. My surgery do all sorts of cosmetic work, but my dentist said she refers a lot of patients on to specialist orthodontists rather than treat them there if they have complex issues, and that she couldn't even imagine it being online.

Looks like there is no hope for dd then

I had thought that even if these aligners don't do as good a job as professional treatment, they might offer a bit of improvement. But don't want to go down that road if there might be potential damage to her teeth.

Problem is there could be underlying issues etc which you couldn't check from a mould.

When I had braces they found extra teeth with the X-ray and I needed 3 operations.

Have she tried therapy for the phobia?

@CorianderLord we have tried everything. I've taken her to dozens of places over the years, she's had play therapy, hypnotherapy (had bad experience with the therapist unfortunately), talking therapies. She's now 19 and is taking it into adulthood unfortunately.

The only thing that worked was sedation. But I don't think that would work for orthodontics.

I think she had an X-ray a few years ago, one of those ones that moves around your head. Wonder if it's worth me asking for a copy of it?

The thing is that an x-ray is just a snapshot of that moment, so for her to start any treatment she would need an up to date one anyway (with any reputable company!).

I had a bad time with my teeth a few years ago - I was clenching them due to stress, and knackered all my back ones, so I needed a load of treatment. I'm not actually a particularly nervous patient, but the whole thing was pretty stressful, and a website that was really helpful was Dental Fear Central, which has loads of advice for people with dental phobia. They also have friendly dentists who post regularly, and lists of surgeries that specialise in phobic patients.

My 13 year old son has got invisaligns. We went through the orthodontist, they do the scans and fitted brackets on some teeth but apart from that we don't go back. We have app to take a scan on every 2 weeks and it's checked and told if he can move on to the next set or not. Its definitely working well should be an 18 month treatment.

Don't even think about it, and don't listen to nonsense that you hear online. Orthodontics is a sophisticated art. Don't believe people who promise you results in 6 months - 2 years. You can create serious nerve and bond damage if you move them too quickly. Your teeth can even become loose and fall out. Before any treatment, they assess you first to see if you're suitable. Getting the bite right is incredibly important, and that can only be done by in depth assessment of the whole area which usually means in person visits.

The only thing I can think of is if you would be willing to pay for an out of clinic consultation. Ask if they'd be willing to meet at a local cafe close to the surgery, out of their uniform. It might relax her to see the person, without uniform and in a more pleasant environment. Some dentists are more familiar with working with patients that have phobias and might have their own plan of action.

Also, could you ask her these questions and post the response? PM me if you want.

Do you have nightmares about the dentist? What usually happens in them?
When you walk past a dentist surgery, how do you feel? Tense, scared, upset? Nothing?
If you were too have full access to a dentist room, and no one else was there, or you could control who came in or out, how would you feel about that?
Imagine yourself sitting cross legged on the floor. Would you feel ok with the dentist having a look in your mouth?
Have you ever had a proper look in your own mouth in the mirror? How would you feel if someone got you one of those mini mirrors on a stick they use?

Some dentists offer home visits if people can’t get to the surgery. Could this be an option - maybe just for a chat during the first visit then take it slowly from there?

I actually did used to post years ago on Dental Fear Central, it was indeed very helpful. I never asked about orthodontics though so maybe I'll go back there.

Thank you @Wondersense the problem with that type of question (and why talking therapies didn't work for her) is that she doesn't know the answers and being pressurised to answer just makes her anxious and close up.

Gosh that's quite unusual. Is she very much an introvert?

Maybe a book or similar on the subject would be better.

I don't know anything about the subject, but the chair might be the central issue here. Lying down or reclining on your back in a chair that looks more like a contraption is quite a scary, vulnerable thing. Horrible really for someone who's scared. That's why I suggested they both sit on the floor to do basic examinations.

I think Dental Fear Central could be really helpful in finding a nice dentist/helping to tackle your daughter’s phobia - but I also think she needs to do those things before embarking on orthodontic work.

As I said above, I am not scared of the dentist, have never missed a checkup, and actually had a load of orthodontic work in my teens so my teeth look great. But, I am absolutely terrified of needles! I pass out at blood tests, and cry at my flu jab.

When I had my “bad year” I basically had to get past that phobia because I needed several root canals, and one tooth extracted. The alternative would have been sedation and them all whipped out (probably by someone I didn’t know because my surgery doesn’t offer sedation). Then I would have been left with a load of missing back teeth.

It was only possible because I have a lovely, patient, kind dentist, who I have been seeing for a long time. I wept in the surgery many times, proper ugly crying (i’m In my mid 40s!) and she was nothing but supportive. She might gave thought I was a pain, but she never once showed it. The dental nurse held my hand through every injection, we took things at my pace (longer appointments than I really needed) and I developed my own coping strategies. Some of these were completely ridiculous - I took a soft toy to every procedure so I had something to hold in my hands, and I bought myself a “present” after each treatment was finished. My dentist probably thought I was bonkers, but she was with me every step of the way.

I honestly think finding a dentist who would eg just chat to your DD, build up to having a look in her mouth in a normal chair, tiny baby steps, is the only way forward. Orthodontic treatment would be down the line from that. It probably sounds daft, but during that period I felt like my dentist, the nurse, and I were “a team”, working together - I think that’s where your daughter needs to get to even though it might be a long and difficult road. (I just wanted to keep my teeth, she has the goal of lovely looking teeth!)

Is she very much an introvert?

Yes very much so. And possibly on autistic spectrum although hasn't been diagnosed. Def some ASD traits.

It is definitely the position of the chair that makes her feel vulnerable. And thinking about it, it IS quite invasive to have someone's fingers or instruments in your mouth.

The thing that didn't help was our family dentist we all used to go to when dd was very young. She was fairly firm, as was I - I did not realise how bad dd was and I had in mind that having dental check ups was non negotiable. Dentist did not help at all and embarrassed and belittled dd eg 'why can't you sit in the chair, your younger sisters are' etc. Dd could not verbalise how scared she was and it didn't come out till much later how bad it was for her

@Judystilldreamsofhorses thank you for posting, so glad you found the right dentist! That's brilliant that you got through it.

I also thought dd should tackle the general dentist before moving onto orthodontics. About 18 months ago, we finally had success at Guy's Hospital in London - after an initial appointment, dd agreed to have her teeth checked and cleaned under sedation. She also can't cope with needles so they gave her a drink to start the process until she was sleepy, then led her to the chair and put the canula in her hand. The dentist was fantastic, even though dd was completely out of it, she spoke to her at each stage and explained what she was doing. I was quite emotional seeing dd in the chair, it had been TEN years!

They then referred dd to their psychology department but again dd clammed up when asked any questions. And she had her A Levels coming up so we left it.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses whereabouts in the country are you if I may ask?

I think if she wants cosmetic dental work then she firstly needs to make sure her teeth are healthy enough by going to some dental check up appointments. If she wants the cosmetic work enough, it should be a motivator to at least beginning to sort out her phobia.

Orthodontics is a specialism and all these dodgy sites offering braces are a one way ticket to a mess which will have to be sorted out by a proper dentist.

I understand she has a phobia but without regular check ups she’s heading to more issues as an adult which will need unpleasant treatment ie fillings etc. She needs to be proactive.

Sorry OP, I'm in Scotland!

Good luck OP. My daughter is waiting for NHS orthodontics. Was referred in November and the waiting list is nearly two years now.

Thank you for all your posts.

I've made a few enquiries and also had a chat with dd who really wants to have it done but is tearful and anxious about it. I'm hoping her desire to achieve results will push her through.

I spoke to the orthodontists where I took dd for a consultation about 4 years ago, they still have her on file. They offer clear aligners as an alternative to a fixed brace. They said they would need to do a 3D scan of the teeth which involves a wand just touching her teeth. I asked dd about this, thought it would be a big no-no but she actually said she might be able to cope with it. Just need to find a sympathetic orthodontist who can work round her anxieties.

I don’t think that sounds right. At a minimum she’ll have to have a full check up and scale and polish before any orthodontics work. Is she willing to get this sorted before getting her hopes up about treatment? There are also options for sedation.

I've had great results clear aligners from SmileTru/Triple O laboratories. My local dentist took the moulds though and checked every month or so to make sure everything was going okay. They did the impressions twice because there was a flaw in the first one which I probably wouldn't have picked up myself.

I know someone who is doing it through an entirely at- home process and it seems to be going okay.