It is possible to undertake teeth straightening without visiting an orthodontist or a dentist through an online provider of aligners. With this service, patients are sent trays and take their own impressions and return these along with some selfie photo’s of their teeth for aligner trays to be made to straighten their teeth. The British Orthodontic Society have already issued a warning about the risks of undertaking this type of treatment (you can read about it here) and have now issued a further advice to dentists who may be asked to perform IPR or fit aligners on behalf of these services.
IPR is the stripping of enamel from teeth to make room for teeth to straighten. Whilst often undertaken as part of routine orthodontic treatment, this is part of a detailed treatment plan and concern has been raised that dentists who undertake this as part of treatment managed by a third party may be putting themselves at risk for a number of reasons.
You can read the BOS statement here and the full article from the Dental Protection publication ‘Riskwise’ here.