INVISALIGN
What is it?
Invisalign is a method of performing orthodontic treatment to straighten and align your teeth using clear trays/aligners and small tooth colored filling attachments on your teeth.
These aligners move teeth biomechanically different than your conventional metal brackets and wires however, both treatment methods lead to the same result: A beautiful, balanced, aligned smile!
Benefits
- Aligners are clear and the tooth-colored filling “buttons” that are bonded to your teeth are less visible, many patients prefer this form of orthodontic treatment. Oftentimes people would never even guess you were going through orthodontic treatment.
- You are able to remove the trays and there are no wires permanently bonded in your mouth you can brush and floss normally! Hurrah! This leads to easier home care for kids and adults alike.
Why might you want to pursue Invisalign treatment
- Ultimately with any orthodontic treatment we are trying to achieve a straighter more aligned smile and a more functional bite where the teeth come together, hopefully, as nature intended them to.
- By straightening your teeth you will reap the following benefits:
- Easier to brush and floss between your teeth because of easier access
- Improved bite if the teeth are coming together in the correct positions (like puzzle pieces)
- Allows for other treatments such as crowns, bridges, implants, and even fillings to be more predictable long term
- Lower chance of wearing teeth down too much on certain areas that normally would not wear due to an uneven bite (this can sometimes lead to stress fractures and increased sensitivity as well)
What Invisalign entails for YOU, the patient?
Because these aligners are removable, we are placing a greater responsibility on the patient to wear the aligners for 22+ hours a day for the treatment to progress and succeed.
Typically each aligner will be switched for your next one after about a week of wear.
We recommend removing your aligners when you eat and also to brush and floss your teeth.
We do NOT recommended that you drink overly hot drinks with your aligners in as this can irreversibly warp the plastic itself.
Throughout your Invisalign treatment we highly recommend you maintain your regular maintenance check ups and cleanings. Sometimes we will recommend you come see your hygienist more frequently while undergoing treatment just to give you the extra bit of help you may need to clean around the clear buttons placed on your teeth.
Procedure
Typically we will need to see you for a consultation to evaluate your mouth to determine if you are a good candidate for Invisalign at our office.
Photos of your face and teeth as well as an updated panoramic x-ray will be taken.
We will do a thorough extraoral and intraoral examination taking measurements of your bite and spacing or crowding as well.
We will determine if your particular case would be best treated with Invisalign therapy at our clinic and if so we will do a 3D scan of your mouth as well.
If your case is deemed to be more extensive in the amount of correction you need, we will gladly refer you to one of our trusted orthodontists who will be able to better guide you with your treatment.
Cost
The cost of treatment varies dramatically from patient to patient.
Some corrections may take a significantly shorter amount of time compared to other corrections and as such the cost of treatment can also vary accordingly.
The best way to determine a rough estimate for treatment is to be examined by one of our doctors directly so that they may get a fuller understanding for all of your needs with Invisalign.
Want to know more?
Contact us via phone or email or speak directly to one of our doctors at your next visit. We can’t wait to help you smile bigger and brighter!