Upgrading Your Smile Discreetly
Say goodbye to bulky, metal braces and hello to comfortable, clear aligners, Invisalign! As the name suggests, Invisalign aligns your teeth while appearing virtually invisible to others. In addition, studies have shown that Invisalign treatment shows faster results in comparison to traditional braces.
So, how does something this incredible work exactly? The first step in your Invisalign journey is taking an impression to create a personalized treatment plan for you. Once your treatment plan is created, your dentist will attach tooth colored attachments to your natural teeth. These attachments work like handles to guide the movement of your teeth. Patients with overbites or underbites, may use elastics to help align their top and bottom teeth. During your treatment, you will scan your teeth once a week. Your dentist will monitor your movement progress using these weekly scans and notify you to visit the office for needed adjustments and/or new sets of trays. At the end of your treatment, your dentist will remove your attachments and you will receive a retainer. It is important to wear these retainers every night so that you can maintain your new beautiful smile.
Are You A Good Candidate?
Before you run to your dentist to get Invisalign, you first need to consider if Invisalign is the right choice for you.
Motivated and Dedicated: A benefit of Invisalign is that the trays are smooth and removable. This means less irritation to your gum tissues and a more comfortable fit. However, some people may forget to rewear them or even lose their trays which delays their progress. To ensure a successful treatment, a good candidate for Invisalign is someone who is motivated and dedicated. This means wearing and cleaning your trays daily. Even after your treatment is completed, you must be consistent in wearing your retainer to maintain your new smile.
Good Oral Hygiene: Although the clear aligners can make your treatment discreet, it can create an environment where bacteria and plaque accumulate. The aligners create a plastic barrier that prevents your saliva from reaching your teeth to re-harden your enamel and fight bacteria. That is why it is even more important to have great oral hygiene during your Invisalign treatment to prevent gum diseases and cavities.
Alignment Complexity and Dental History: Although Invisalign can do wonders for most cases of crooked, crowded, and protruding teeth that does not mean it works for everyone. Patients with complex orthodontic cases such as severe under- or overbites may need braces to achieve the desired outcome. Unlike braces, Invisalign does not have the same force and capabilities required for significant movement of teeth. In addition, Invisalign can only align your natural teeth. Hence, patients with implants, bridges, or TMJ problems are not good candidates for Invisalign.
Age: When it comes to Invisalign, you may have noticed that most patients are older teenagers and adults. This is due to the responsibilities that come with a successful Invisalign treatment. In addition, younger patients are encouraged to hold off on Invisalign until their mouth is fully grown and their permanent teeth have fully come in. Fortunately, there is no upper age limit for Invisalign. So it is never too late to start your Invisalign treatment! If you are still unsure, you can always ask your dentist to assess your case and let you know if Invisalign is right for you.
Welcome Smiles
Here at Welcome Smile, we happily offer Invisalign treatment to our patients. To ensure an effortlessly invisible smile during your treatment, our office have a variety of tooth colored attachments to match your natural smile. Additionally, we use Dental Monitor, a virtual treatment program, that allows for both you and our office to track and monitor your teeth movements weekly. Because we know how valuable your time is, we will happily notify you whenever you need to come in for new trays and/or attachments during your Invisalign treatment. Our office chooses Invisalign so that you have a more comfortable way to smile more beautifully.
If you have any questions or concerns, we are here to help! Reach out to us at (508) 832-3205 or conveniently schedule an appointment through our website. Don’t forget to check out our engaging content on Instagram and Facebook by following us @WelcomeSmiles!