Orthodontics

Many patients live for years with mild crowding or spacing without realizing treatment options exist for their situation. Difficulty flossing between crowded teeth, a jaw that shifts when you close your mouth, or teeth that meet unevenly when you bite down are all worth noting.

Patients who grind their teeth at night sometimes discover during an exam that their bite is contributing to the habit. A cross-sectional study on bruxism and malocclusion found that “awareness of clenching” was significantly more common among patients with malocclusion than those with normal occlusion.

When should you seek a professional?

The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that children receive an orthodontic screening by age seven, but adults can benefit from evaluation at any age. Persistent jaw discomfort, difficulty chewing, or visible misalignment that appears to be changing over time are all reasonable indicators that a consultation is worth scheduling. 

University of Minnesota’s early orthodontic treatment guidance notes that by around age six, “the first adult molars have typically started to emerge,” giving clinicians an early benchmark for assessing basic alignment well before active treatment would ever begin.

Mail-order aligners and social media videos showing rubber bands or paper clips used to close gaps have both grown more popular as people look for lower-cost alternatives to in-person care.

A peer-reviewed survey on DIY orthodontics risk awareness found that financial motivation was the most common reason people said they’d consider unsupervised treatment, and that awareness of the associated risks varied widely among respondents. The appeal is understandable, but the risks are worth examining before making a decision.

What the Research Says About Unsupervised Tooth Movement

Moving teeth without professional monitoring carries risks that aren’t always visible until damage has already occurred. Without diagnostic X-rays, there’s no way to check bone density or root health before attempting to move teeth on your own.

A case report in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics illustrates the risk starkly: an unsupervised elastic “gap band” used to close a front-tooth gap worked its way beneath the gumline and caused damage severe enough that both teeth required extraction, concluding that “inappropriate use of gap bands can result in periodontal destruction and tooth loss.”

The numbers below reflect industry averages sourced from national references and are provided for general educational context only. They don’t reflect pricing at this specific practice. A national provider survey on orthodontic treatment costs conducted between August 2024 and July 2025 found that comprehensive Invisalign treatment and traditional braces cost similarly overall, with roughly half of surveyed doctors reporting Invisalign at the same price point or less than braces for a comparable case.

Insurance Plans That Commonly Cover Orthodontic Benefits

The list below represents insurance providers and plan types that commonly include orthodontic benefits based on general industry data, and isn’t guaranteed to reflect what’s accepted at any specific office. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ dental insurance guide explains that orthodontic benefits for braces and retainers are typically added through a separate rider, distinct from the preventive and basic-procedure coverage most dental plans include by default.