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A popular option for straightening teeth at Cosse & Silmon Orthodontics, Clear Aligners can be a great method for improving your smile, and can help patients with crowded teeth, crossbites, overbites, underbites, and more.

Clear Aligners, which is different from traditional braces, works by applying a series of clear, retainer-like aligners in order to eventually move your teeth into their ideal positions. Patients typically swap aligners approximately every couple of weeks.

At Cosse & Silmon Orthodontics, we have lots of experience using this technology to give our patients the beautiful and healthy smile they’ve always wanted. During your initial visit at our Shreveport, Louisiana office, the first thing we do is take an impression of your teeth as they are now and digitize it. Using special software, we look at the current positioning of your teeth and compare it to the way your teeth should look.

Not only are the aligners invisible, they are also removable, so you can eat and drink what you want, and brushing and flossing are easier. Clear Aligners are also comfortable, with no metal to cause mouth abrasions during your treatment. And, no metal and wires usually means you spend less time at our office getting adjustments. With Clear Aligners, you can view your own virtual treatment plan when you start, so you can see how your straight teeth will look when your treatment is complete!

Depending on the severity of the problem, Clear Aligners treatment may take anywhere from three to 18 months to complete. You should be aware that Clear Aligners is not as effective as traditional braces in treating bite problems, teeth that are lower or higher than others, or severely overcrowded teeth. Both teens and adults are now great candidates for Clear Aligners, so we invite you to contact our Shreveport, Louisiana office to set up an initial consultation and learn more on how Clear Aligners can give you the smile you’ve always wanted!

Happy Independence Day from Christopher Cosse and team! The Fourth of July celebrations in America may have changed a lot over the years, but there is no doubt that we Americans love to celebrate the anniversary of our country’s independence! Today we’re devoting the Cosse & Silmon Orthodontics blog to some fun facts about the Fourth!

• My, how we have grown! This year the United States Census Bureau estimates that our country has 313.9 million residents celebrating the Fourth of July this year, but back in 1776 there were just 2.5 million members of the country.
• Our country loves to show how proud that we are of our independence. Did you know that there are 31 United States places with the word “Liberty” in their names? The state of Iowa actually has four towns with the word Liberty in the name: Libertyville, New Liberty, North Liberty, and West Liberty.
• The United States loves Fourth of July food! It is expected that around 150 million hot dogs are eaten on the Fourth each year. One of the Fourth’s most popular sides, potato salad, goes just perfectly with the hotdogs and hamburgers that are standard Fourth of July fare. Some people choose potato chips instead, but we wouldn’t have such a plethora of potatoes if not for the prodigious production of the states of Idaho and Washington — they provide about half of all the potatoes in the United States today!
• Americans love celebrating the Fourth outdoors: About 74 million Americans fire up their BBQ grill every Fourth of July.
• The Chinese contribution: Did you know that Americans have spent more than $211 million on fireworks that were imported from China?

No matter how your family chooses to celebrate the Fourth, stay safe, take precautions, and don’t forget to brush after your fabulous Fourth feast!

Christopher Cosse and our team know most of our patients at Cosse & Silmon Orthodontics would probably welcome the idea of speeding up the time they wear braces. And now they can, thanks to AcceleDent, a treatment option that has been shown to increase tooth alignment by 106 percent and reduce the time you spend wearing braces, anywhere from 38 to 50 percent.

By using this pain-free, simple appliance for 20 minutes a day, you will accelerate your orthodontic treatment time using patented technology that gently vibrates the teeth and surrounding bone, allowing teeth to move more freely and creating an ideal bite faster than with braces alone.

AcceleDent is championed as a safe and comfortable option for patients of all ages. When you first begin wearing the light appliance, you may experience a small tingling sensation, much like that of an electric toothbrush, but it should diminish after you become accustomed to wearing it. You may even forget you’re wearing the appliance!

To learn if the AcceleDent system can help you achieve the dazzling smile you’ve always wanted, please give us a call at our Shreveport, Louisiana office to schedule an appointment with Christopher Cosse.

Many teens want to improve their smile without the pain and embarrassment of having to wear metal braces. Just like metal braces, Clear Aligners works by gently moving teeth into position. Metal braces are worn continuously, however, and need to be adjusted by Christopher Cosse regularly in order to move the teeth into proper position.

Clear Aligners uses a series of clear trays to move teeth into position. When you are done with one tray, simply pop in the next! Clear Aligners for Teen straightens teeth just as well as traditional metal braces, but has several advantages.

Invisible

You’ve probably figured out the most obvious advantage already: the aligners are nearly invisible. Clear Aligners works by using a series of clear aligners that should be worn 20 to 22 hours a day. Clear Aligners for trays are almost undetectable when you wear them, so you can smile with confidence — even while you are straightening your teeth.

Removable

One of the best things about Clear Aligners for Teen is that the trays are removable. This means you can remove your tray to eat, brush, and floss your teeth, or even to play sports. While Christopher Cosse and our team at Cosse & Silmon Orthodontics require you to wear the trays for most of the day, having the ability to remove your straightening trays means you have practically none of the dietary restrictions that metal brace wearers have to observe.

Teens that play contact sports often experience difficulties with metal braces. Clear Aligners for Teen allows the flexibility to wear a mouthguard, and no metal wires or brackets means less risk of cuts or other injuries while playing a game. Musicians also benefit from being able to remove their trays during rehearsals and performances. You can even remove your tray for your school photo or to snap a quick selfie!

Finally, because you can remove your aligners, you can easily keep your teeth clean through normal brushing and flossing. You can also clean your trays by brushing and rinsing them in warm water. Brushing and flossing with metal braces can be frustrating and time-consuming. Clear Aligners for Teen treatment at Cosse & Silmon Orthodontics helps you keep your smile white and shiny with very little change to your normal routine.

To learn more about Clear Aligners for Teen, or to schedule an appointment with Christopher Cosse, please give us a call at our convenient Shreveport, Louisiana office!