Clear Aligner Therapy at Our High St Office: Who It Suits
Clear aligner therapy replaces brackets and archwires with a numbered set of transparent trays that you take out to eat and put back in afterward. Invisalign® clear aligners in Wadsworth, OH are planned and supervised by Dr. Todd Dietrich, DDS, who has practiced orthodontics since 1992 and is a certified Invisalign® provider. Treatment happens at 787 High St, with our Akron office available as a second location when that schedule suits you better.
Here is the mechanical idea in one sentence: each tray is manufactured a fraction of a millimeter away from where your teeth currently sit, and the plastic’s attempt to return to its own shape becomes light continuous pressure on the roots. Bone remodels in response to that pressure, releasing on one side of the root and rebuilding on the other. It is the same biology braces rely on, delivered by a different appliance.
Aligners suit some problems better than others. The bite patterns we most often correct with trays for patients from Wadsworth, Rittman, and Doylestown include:
- Front teeth that have crept back together years after childhood braces
- Moderate crowding where one or two teeth sit forward or behind the arch
- Uneven spacing after a tooth was lost or a baby tooth stayed too long
- Upper front teeth that bite too deeply over the lower ones
- Narrow upper arches needing modest widening across the premolars
- Straightening ahead of restorative dentistry so crowns can be shaped conservatively
What aligners are not is a mail-order product. A kit shipped to your door includes no examination, no radiograph, and nobody watching for root resorption or gum recession.
Practical Advantages of Choosing Aligners in Wadsworth, OH
Patients pick trays for two reasons that come up in almost every consultation: they can be removed, and they are hard to see. Underneath those two headline features sit several advantages that matter more over the course of treatment than most people expect.
- Your toothbrush reaches everything. With nothing bonded across the front of the teeth, brushing and flossing require no new technique, which keeps gum tissue healthier during treatment.
- No food restrictions. Corn on the cob, apples, popcorn at the game: the trays come out, so nothing on your appliance can break.
- Predictable appointment load. Because tray changes happen at home, in-office visits are periodic progress checks rather than a wire change every few weeks.
- Gentler soft tissue experience. Smooth plastic edges do not abrade cheeks and lips the way a fresh bracket edge sometimes does in the first week.
- Better function, not only appearance. Levelling a deep bite and correcting how teeth meet reduces uneven enamel wear and can ease strain on chewing muscles.
- Easy to combine with dental work. Your general dentist can clean, fill, or restore teeth mid-treatment without removing an appliance first.
The trade-off is real and worth stating plainly: results depend entirely on how many hours a day the trays are actually in your mouth.
From First Scan to Retainer: The Four Phases
We organize aligner cases into four phases so you always know which one you are in and what comes next.
Phase one: examination and digital records
Your no-cost first visit covers a clinical examination, digital radiographs, photographs, and an iTero® digital scan of both arches. The scan takes minutes and involves no impression trays. Dr. Dietrich then assesses root angulation, bone support, gum condition, and jaw relationship before saying whether trays are appropriate.
Phase two: prescription and plan design
We write a prescription describing which teeth must move, in which direction, in what order, and how much movement each tray may attempt. Difficult rotations get staged across multiple trays. Attachment placement is planned here too, since bonded attachments give the smooth plastic purchase on rounded enamel. You see the projected result before manufacturing starts.
Phase three: active wear and monitoring
On delivery day we bond attachments, fit your opening tray, and confirm full seating at the edges and biting surfaces. From then on the trays live in your mouth 20 to 22 hours daily, out only for meals, drinks other than water, and hygiene. At each progress check we verify that teeth match the planned position, and if they have drifted off track we adjust the sequence or rescan rather than pushing ahead.
Phase four: refinement and stabilization
When the series ends we scan again and compare reality with the plan. Detailing a few tooth positions with a short refinement series is common and not a setback. Once the finish is right, attachments come off, enamel is polished, and retainers are delivered to hold the correction while bone and ligament settle.
How long the middle two phases take varies with how far teeth must travel, whether elastics are needed for the bite, and wear consistency. We give you a realistic range at the consultation and update it as we see how your teeth respond.
Deciding Whether Trays Fit Your Case and Your Routine
Candidacy has a clinical half and a personal half. The clinical half is whether the movements your bite requires are within what plastic can deliver. The personal half is whether the trays will be worn.
Working adults and retirees
Teeth move at any age provided bone and gum tissue are healthy. Adults are frequently ideal aligner patients because they understand the reason behind the wear instruction. Existing crowns, bridges, and implants change the plan but usually do not rule out treatment; implants do not move, so we plan around them.
Older teens finishing high school
Once the permanent teeth are in, a conscientious teenager can do well with trays. We are candid with families at the consultation about whether a particular student is likely to keep a removable appliance in during a long school day, because that single factor drives the outcome more than anything we do at the chair.
Conditions to resolve before we begin
Untreated cavities, active gum disease, and heavy tartar buildup all need attention from your general dentist first. Moving teeth through inflamed tissue is not in your interest, and a filling placed mid-series can change how a tray fits.
Case complexity and what aligners can realistically deliver
| Case type | Typical aligner suitability | Extra tools we may add |
|---|---|---|
| Mild relapse crowding, lower front | Strong fit, one of the most straightforward cases | Minor enamel contouring to create contact space |
| Spacing and midline gaps | Strong fit with predictable closure | Attachments on the teeth being pulled together |
| Deep bite | Often workable when growth is complete | Bite ramps built into the tray |
| Mild to moderate overjet | Possible with cooperation on elastics | Precision cuts and inter-arch elastics |
| Severe rotation of a canine or premolar | Limited, control is harder with plastic alone | Discuss ceramic or metal braces instead |
| Skeletal jaw discrepancy or unerupted tooth | Generally not an aligner-only case | Fixed appliances, possibly with growth guidance |
Your own row on that chart gets decided at the examination, not from a photograph.
Why Wadsworth Families Choose Dietrich Family Orthodontics
The practice has been creating smiles since 1966, and every aligner plan here is written and reviewed by an orthodontist. Reasons patients from Wadsworth, Norton, Barberton, Medina, and Sharon Center stay with us:
- Depth of experience. Dr. Todd Dietrich, DDS holds active membership in the American Association of Orthodontists, the American Dental Association, and the Ohio Dental Association.
- Certified Invisalign® provider. Trays are core to what we do, alongside metal braces, ceramic braces, early treatment, and retainers.
- A local office, not a drive downtown. Appointments happen at 787 High St, with Akron available if that fits a workday better.
- Impression-free scanning. iTero® digital scanning captures accurate records without putty trays.
- Straight answers about appliance choice. When braces will finish a bite more reliably, we say so before you commit.
- Insurance and budgeting help. Our team coordinates orthodontic benefits and arranges monthly payments.
- Urgent help available. Lost tray, cracked plastic, or a detached attachment: phone the office and we will advise you the same day where we can.
Consultations are complimentary, and nobody will push you into starting treatment the day you visit.
Common Questions From Our Wadsworth Aligner Patients
How many hours a day do the trays really need to be in?
Twenty to twenty-two, which sounds strict until you count it out: about two hours daily remain for meals, drinks, and brushing. Patients who respect that budget finish on schedule; those who leave trays out through an afternoon of coffee and snacks need extra trays and extra months.
Can I chew gum or drink soda with aligners in?
No to both. Gum sticks to the plastic and is nearly impossible to clean out, and sugary or acidic drinks pool under the tray against your enamel, which raises cavity risk considerably. Water is the only thing to drink with trays seated.
What if I lose a tray on vacation?
Call us. Depending on where you are in the series we may have you step back to the previous set to hold position, continue to the next set early, or come in for a replacement. What you should not do is leave the trays out for days and wait, because teeth begin drifting almost immediately.
Are attachments permanent, and will they stain?
They are temporary. Attachments are bonded composite shaded to enamel, removed and polished off at the end of treatment. Surface stain from coffee, tea, or tobacco is possible, so rinse trays and brush after meals.
Does treatment hurt when I change to a new tray?
Expect tightness and mild tenderness for a day or two whenever a fresh set goes in; that pressure is the appliance working. Changing sets in the evening lets you sleep through the strongest sensation. Ordinary over-the-counter pain relief is plenty for most people.
What will my treatment cost?
That depends on the number of trays, whether refinement is likely, and how complex the movements are, so we give you an exact figure after the examination rather than a range over the phone. We will also tell you what your orthodontic insurance benefit contributes and set up monthly payments on the remainder.
Start With a Free Aligner Consultation in Wadsworth
Call Dietrich Family Orthodontics at (330) 334-1698 to arrange your complimentary consultation, and our team will look for a time that fits around work, school, and practice schedules.
Our Wadsworth office is at 787 High St, Wadsworth, OH 44281, convenient for families in Rittman, Doylestown, and Sharon Center, and our Akron office on W Exchange St is the second option if you commute that direction. Hours for both locations are listed on our website and our team will gladly confirm them by phone.
Bring your dental insurance information, the date of your last cleaning, and your general dentist’s name. Where recent radiographs exist we can often request them instead of repeating images.
Creating smiles in this region since 1966, and one phone call away.
Families who live closer to our Akron office can read about Invisalign clear aligners in Akron, OH instead, and we regularly welcome patients from Rittman and Doylestown. You can also request an appointment online at any hour.