Modern orthodontics offer a range of treatments to help straighten your teeth and give you the beautiful smile you’ve always dreamed of. Gone are the cumbersome traditional metal braces with headgear attachments that look like a medieval torture device. Invisalign is a modern treatment that is non-invasive, practically invisible, and can help solve several mild to moderate orthodontic problems.
Here are the benefits and considerations about Invisalign, to help you decide what treatment is best for you.
What Is Invisalign?
Since hitting the market in 2001, Invisalign has helped over 6 million people straighten their teeth, and has become one of the most popular orthodontic treatments for fixing crowded, crooked, or gapped teeth. Invisalign is a non-invasive, and convenient treatment that uses a series of clear custom made removable aligners that sit comfortably over your teeth. These aligners use gentle and controlled pressure to guide your teeth into their new position. Because the aligners are made from a special medical-grade clear plastic, they are virtually invisible, and most people will not notice you are wearing them at all.
What Invisalign Can Do
Invisalign can treat many common mild to moderate orthodontic problems, including crowded teeth, slight overbites/underbites, gaps in the teeth, or crooked teeth. Invisalign delivers quick results. The aligners are custom built for your teeth and will restrict and shape the way your teeth grow. With Invisalign, many patients can have straight teeth in only a few months.
Benefits Of Invisalign
- It is invisible and discreet – Unlike traditional metal braces, the aligners are made of clear medical grade plastic. Most people you meet will not even notice you are wearing them.
- You can eat your favourite foods – Whenever you eat or drink, you will need to remove your aligners, so unlike traditional braces, there is nowhere for food particles to get trapped, and you don’t need to stay away from certain foods. You can eat what you like, brush your teeth, and reinsert your aligners.
- They require minimal maintenance – After your consultation, your dentist will order the custom made aligner trays for each phase of your treatment. You only need to see your dentist to pick up your new set of trays and make sure your treatment is progressing well. There is minimal maintenance as there are no screws to tighten or wires to fix, like there are with traditional braces.
- You can brush and floss like normal – With traditional braces, it is hard to clean between your teeth and the enamel can become discoloured around the metal brackets. Because you can remove the Invisalign aligner trays, you can brush and floss as you usually would.
- They are custom made – You will get a new aligner tray every two weeks, to give room for your teeth to move and grow. Your trays are made from a 3D scan of your teeth that can be adjusted by your dentist and finely tuned to get the results you want.
- You can see the results beforehand – From the first consultation, you can see what the final results of the treatment will look like. Using the 3D scan, your dentist can fine-tune your tooth alignment and get you the perfect smile you are after. You will know what the result of the treatment will be.
- You could lose weight – Because you have to remove your aligners to eat or drink anything, and will need to brush your teeth immediately afterwards, it means you may think twice about having that extra bedtime snack.
What To Expect
- Consultation – The treatment starts with a one on one consultation with your dentist or orthodontist. Using the specially designed software, your dentist will take a 3D scan of your teeth and see whether or not you are a good candidate for the treatment.
- Customized treatment plan – Using a patented software system, your dentist will create a treatment plan based on a 3D model of your teeth. With this model, they can create a preview of how your new smile will look so you can see the final results. Custom made aligner trays are designed for each step of your treatment and will need to be replaced every two weeks or so. Each aligner tray will shift your teeth up to one-third of a millimetre every two weeks.
- Check-ups – Following your consultation, your next dentist visit will be to pick up your aligner trays. Your dentist will check to make sure they fit correctly and answer any questions you might have about how to wear them. You will only need to see your dentist to check on your progress and pick up the next set of aligners.
Things To Consider
- Invisalign isn’t for everyone – Invisalign is an excellent option for treating mild to moderate orthodontic problems, but may not be the best solution for more complex cases. If you have a severe overbite, under-bite, or tooth rotation, traditional braces may be a better treatment option. Talk to your dentist for the best advice on your treatment options.
- You must wear them 22 hours a day – Wearing the Invisalign system is a serious commitment. It comes with you on vacation; it comes with you out at night. That 22 hours in a day only gives you two hours to do all your eating, drinking, and anything else you want to do.
- You may have more attachments than you anticipated – The Invisalign system includes attachments that are small white plastic ridges that stick to your teeth and resemble braces brackets. They help the aligners click into place and adjust your teeth. They are usually the colour of the enamel and without the aligners are invisible. When the aligner trays are in place, they can look like clear braces.
- You need to brush your teeth quite often – You need to clean your teeth after eating or drinking anything, and it is crucial to put your aligners back in immediately afterward. If you don’t brush your teeth, food particles can get caught in the aligner, and this can affect the position of your tooth. Food particles will also feed bacteria in your mouth that can cause plaque, and tooth decay, leading to nasty cavities. Foods such as coffee, tea, or red wine can stain your teeth, and attachments, making them unsightly, and visible when wearing your clear aligners.
- It is a big commitment – If you don’t follow the recommended times for wearing your aligners, it could affect your overall treatment time and the final position of your teeth. They won’t work for you if you don’t wear them. It is important to commit to the treatment plan, or you may not get the results you are hoping for.
To see if Invisalign can improve your smile, call Lambton Family Dental at (519) 344-5747 to make an appointment. We can help your entire family get the smiles they’ve always dreamed of. We offer a wide variety of services and can create a treatment plan that meets your needs.