SPRINGFIELD (WGEM) – A bill heading to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk aims to create guardrails to protect Illinoisans using direct-to-consumer clear teeth aligners.

The bill which passed both the state House and Senate with near unanimous support. Only state Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, voted against the bill.

It would require patients see a dentist within in a year of ordering the aligners and submit those records when buying them.

Doctor Randall Markarian, an orthodontist with offices in Swansea and O’Fallon, said it’s important people get their teeth checked before starting treatment. They could have an undiagnosed condition, like gum disease, which could impact the treatment’s potential success.

“This is a way for us to make sure that any companies providing this do-it-yourself orthodontics have to maintain some degree of standard of care in order to help protect the public,” Markarian said.

Markarian warned people not having a treatment plan can cost them money. He’s treated patients who used DIY aligners unsuccessfully without a plan.

“The treatment has not moved the teeth in the way that they would have expected, that they had hoped for, and so we have to go and retreat them and correct the bite issues that occur because of these treatments,” Markarian said.

Under the bill, patients can use a teledentistry visit for their mandated appointment.

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