In-House aligners helping answer the distress call during the pandemic!

Fixed orthodontic treatment being a long-term treatment has suffered during the pandemic Clinics have undergone a prolonged and unforeseen lockdown, and patients are finding it extremely difficult to cope with their regular checkups and appointments Advances in material sciences, simulation software, and 3D printing have enabled aligners to offer treatment solutions for complicated orthodontic problems An orthodontist can use virtual simulations to plan out the entire treatment on a computerized three-dimensional model, and then order aligners using these simulations Patient compliance is one of the principal issues with clear aligner therapy and at a time when branded aligners are facing issues with regard to shipping, the entire process has become very expensive For these reasons, it would be a good idea to consider using in-house fabricated aligners In-house aligners can be easily fabricated using thermoformed plastic which is adapted to complex three-dimensional tooth surfaces that have a bearing on the deflection of the aligner on placement They hold advantages over traditional commercially available aligners in terms of cost effectiveness and time required for fabrication and delivery © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications All rights reserved