If you’re looking into teeth straightening for yourself or your kids, one of the key considerations will be the comfort of the experience. The prospect of any medical or cosmetic process can be daunting, but often that trepidation can come from assumptions about what might be involved, rather than the reality.

Teeth straightening is a good case in point. Whether from childhood memories from years gone by, or from comically dramatic misrepresentations in movies and the media (Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors anyone?!) many of us may inadvertently harbour outdated misconceptions about what’s involved in getting that lovely smile you dream of for you and your kids.

Apart from widespread disdain for old fashioned wire braces (now often unnecessary due to the development of the far superior Invisalign clear aligners), there’s also fear of the horrible idea of getting your mouth stuffed full of revolting putty in order for your orthodontist to take a mold of your mouth. The prospect is enough to make many people start hyperventilating – and not surprisingly!

Thankfully, this unpleasant process has now also been made obsolete (in the better orthodontic practices at least) by the advent of 3D mouth scanning machines. At CCC Smiles we use the Itero 3D scanner, an amazing piece of equipment that takes the most accurate impressions of your mouth and teeth – which enables us to create far better-fitting aligners and better smiles!

Using a handheld ‘magic’ wand to scan your mouth, it’s faster, cleaner and more comfortable than the old putty method, and you can even see the detailed scans of your mouth on screen while you’re in your consultation (which a lot of patients find themselves intrigued by!)