Don’t let her do smile direct... unless she is the simplest case in the world with no need for interproximal reduction. I’m talking a minuscule amount of relapse after Ortho as a teen. Every single outcome I have seen has been dogshit.
Every case is unique and individual and I realize I made a blanket statement, but there are a couple things to look out for when she’s done:
Stability. If a case is managed poorly, it is likely to have a lot more relapse. Teeth want to go back to where they were, especially if the case wasn’t set up properly or the Bolton discrepancy is too great. Definitely make sure she wears retainers for life (same for any Ortho case).
A good bite. This is my biggest issue with smile direct. Most of the bites I’ve seen afterwards have not been great. Ideally, she should have even contact of her back teeth on both sides. That’s pretty tough for a good orthodontist to achieve in a lot of cases. If she doesn’t get it after SD, have her go see an ortho. Things can go south in a hurry.
Don’t let her do smile direct... unless she is the simplest case in the world with no need for interproximal reduction. I’m talking a minuscule amount of relapse after Ortho as a teen. Every single outcome I have seen has been dogshit.
Every case is unique and individual and I realize I made a blanket statement, but there are a couple things to look out for when she’s done:
Stability. If a case is managed poorly, it is likely to have a lot more relapse. Teeth want to go back to where they were, especially if the case wasn’t set up properly or the Bolton discrepancy is too great. Definitely make sure she wears retainers for life (same for any Ortho case).
A good bite. This is my biggest issue with smile direct. Most of the bites I’ve seen afterwards have not been great. Ideally, she should have even contact of her back teeth on both sides. That’s pretty tough for a good orthodontist to achieve in a lot of cases. If she doesn’t get it after SD, have her go see an ortho. Things can go south in a hurry.