Does COVID-19 mean no more braces with DIY Dentistry?

Out of concern of Coronavirus infection, we see many patients are trying to minimize their visits to hospitals and clinics, although movement restrictions are easing up in UAE recently. Traditional orthodontic treatments, as they usually require regular visits to orthodontist for extended period of time, are predicted to face a particularly strong challenge under the 'new normal'. We sat with Dr Sameer Sheikh, a respected orthodontist practicing in Dubai, to get get his view on the rising interest for dental aligners and so called 'DIY Dentistry' where teeth alignments are done with minimized or no visits to dentists.

(5.0)

132 reviews

Dr. Sameer H. Shaikh

Orthodontist
Clover Medical Centre, TECOM

Do you think COVID-19 will mean ultimate dominance of aligners and so called 'DIY' dentistry over traditional orthodontics?

Aligners are a wonderful implement and armory, but they cannot solve all the cases.

There are challenges in a lot of areas, and the traditional orthodontics will always have its place under the sun. My opinion is people are moving towards aligners, but they can’t offer the entire gamut of our orthodontic updates.

DIY (Do-it-Yourself) cannot solve everything because at some point of time you need a human interference. Someone who knows the basics and the consequences of what you are going to do. Not just moving teeth, there are lot of other things involved.

It’s adjustment of your occlusion. What can happen to your temporomandibular joints. I mean these are matters of concern where a human factor or an orthodontist can involve and prevent the consequences.

So, DIY, yeah for some mild cosmetic work here and there, fine.
But not for the majority of purposes.

*Disclaimer: Please consider the information in this video/article most recent as per date and medical recommendations towards COVID-19 may change as the situation evolves.