One reason is that aligners don’t do everything well! It is difficult to improve the smile arc, improve the airway, or reduce balancing interferences with aligners. Severe crowding or rotations are difficult and take a long time. More importantly, practitioners aren’t taught to move teeth. They’re taught how to submit cases-HUGE differences.
Another big reason is that there is no defined end-point for orthodontic success. Is it straight teeth or straight teeth and a nice smile? Limited goals may be achievable with aligners alone, but when you start looking to improve the bite and maximize airway, aligners may not be the best choice.
Finally, adding airway and bite and smile esthetics to “straight teeth” is difficult. If done properly, it won’t take significantly longer, but it’s much more complicated and doesn’t lend itself well to a single approach.
At Egghead, we’re all about doing the best orthodontic treatment possible most efficiently. This requires a comprehensive diagnosis FIRST, then choosing the approach that produces the best results in the fewest number of in-person appointments. The diagnosis comes first, then the treatment plan.
Do we use the aligners? Yes, we use aligners! In many cases, however, it’s necessary to address the big things first-width discrepancies, smile arc, AP mismatches, severe crowding, and malalignment. These may be more efficiently corrected with other modalities, and then we can switch and finish with aligners. We call these hybrid cases, and with our help, it opens the possibilities for doing even more and better orthodontic treatment in your office.