Invisalign is a well-worth-it orthodontic treatment for older teens or adults who want to straighten their teeth or correct a misaligned bite without drawing attention to their teeth.
Orthodontic treatment used to necessitate the bonding of metal wires and brackets to your teeth, but this is no longer the case. Read on in this blog from Heartwell Dental to learn all about what sets Invisalign apart from traditional braces.
Invisalign has surged in popularity over the years, and for good reason. Invisalign gives patients the power to straighten their teeth without uncomfortable and embarrassing hunks of metal showing in their mouths.
The aligners are made of clear and removable thermoplastic which places much gentler pressure on your teeth to move them gradually. This results in reduced pain, better hygiene, discreet aesthetics, and unparalleled convenience.
Because the aligners are removable, you can eat a restriction-free diet through the course of treatment, as long as you remove the aligners first. Removability also ensures that you can thoroughly clean all of the surfaces of your teeth which prevents cavities and discoloration that is so common after braces removal.
The metal wires and brackets in braces also posed a risk to the safety of those who play contact sports, because an accidental injury could mean a metal wire pops off or becomes damaged. Invisalign aligners, on the other hand, cushion your child’s teeth and offer protection.
Invisalign can correct a wide variety of orthodontic problems, including crooked, misaligned, or overcrowded teeth, small to moderate gaps, and even bite problems. Whether you have an underbite, overbite, open bite, or crossbite, Invisalign can shift your jaws forward or backward with the help of Invisalign attachments and elastics.
Invisalign attachments are small tooth-colored made out of composite resin and are bonded to your teeth. They come in various sizes and shapes according to their purpose. Attachments help anchor your aligners and perform more complex tooth movements that the aligners could not perform on their own.
For very crooked teeth that need to be rotated, an attachment may be placed on a certain tooth to rotate it. When paired with an elastic, this can shift the jaws so a misaligned bite can be corrected. These attachments are hardly noticeable because they match the shade of your teeth and will be covered with your aligners for 22 hours per day.
At the end of your treatment, these resin attachments are removed and your teeth will be back to normal. Not every patient will need attachments to complete their treatment but this can only be determined after coming in for a consultation.
The average length of treatment for Invisalign is just 12 to 18 months but can be even shorter for very mild problems like small gaps which can be corrected in as little as 6 weeks. The duration of your treatment will depend on the complexity and severity of your case.
Severely misaligned bites and overcrowded teeth will take longer to correct than minor gaps or slightly crooked teeth. To ensure that your treatment doesn’t take any longer than it needs to, you must wear your aligners for 22 hours per day.
Otherwise, you will find that your next set of aligners will be too tight and you will need to backtrack to a previous set of aligners to finish shifting your teeth. During our digital mapping of your teeth, you will be able to see how your teeth will move throughout your treatment and how long this will take.
Invisalign got its name from the invisibility of the clear aligners. They are fully transparent so they will be unnoticeable unless you tell someone that you’re wearing them.
While Invisalign attachments may be slightly noticeable bumps on your teeth when you remove your aligners, this will only be the case when your aligners aren’t in your mouth, which should only occur for a maximum of 2 hours per day.
Invisalign clear aligners have made orthodontic treatment more convenient, flexible, and comfortable than ever. Interested in Invisalign? Contact us at Heartwell Dental today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Abraam Girgis.
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