Perfectly aligned teeth come with a myriad of benefits, including oral health and an aesthetically pleasing smile. If you have misaligned teeth, you can turn to your dentist and inquire about Invisalign dental treatment.
What Is Invisalign?
Invisalign is a registered custom-made aligner prescribed for individuals with misaligned teeth. They are worn over teeth and changed every few weeks or as advised by your dentist. Like other orthodontic treatments (e.g. retainers, braces, and others), this helps to adjust the position of your pearly whites.
Instead of wires and elastics, this treatment makes use of a clear aligner that is generated from a mould or impression of your teeth. Because they are made of clear plastic, they are almost imperceptible to the eye and do not stand out, unlike traditional braces.
These “invisible” plastic aligners can be removed. It is easier to clean compared to braces and retainers. The patient will have several aligners throughout the treatment duration, each one designed to advance the progression of alignment until the teeth are properly positioned. This affords orthodontic patients with a different option for shifting teeth. However, options are subject to the assessment of a dental professional.
Who Needs Invisalign?
Before you ask about Invisalign, have you asked yourself how do I know if I need braces? If you have crooked teeth, underbite or overbite, crowded teeth, missing teeth and so on, you likely will consider braces.
There are different orthodontic conditions that hinder a person from having that perfect smile. While the Invisalign treatment procedure provides an alternative to the traditional ones, a dentist would still have to assess the condition of your teeth. In cases of overcrowding or very twisted teeth, braces are considered a better choice.
The good news is almost everyone can wear Invisalign aligners. The key is in consulting with a dental professional for a thorough assessment of gum history, and teeth and jaw conditions.
How to Get Invisalign
When you get your aligners, there are a few steps that you need to take:
- Initial Consultation
The first step in your Invisalign treatment procedure is to meet with a dental professional. Your orthodontist or dentist will check your teeth, gums, and jaw to assess if this treatment is good for you or not. You can also ask your questions at this point to get a better idea of how the treatment will go and for how long. This is also the best time to discuss with your dentist the Invisalign treatment cost.
- Record-Taking
If you are cleared to undergo this orthodontic treatment, your dentist can proceed with taking your records which include your teeth impression and taking x-rays and photographs. The impressions are used to create the digital teeth model to assess the movement of the teeth.
- First Aligners
The orthodontist will schedule the time for you to get your first custom aligners. These are tailor-fit for you so it may take a few days. When your aligners are fitted, your dentist will give you instructions for removing, re-wearing, cleaning, and maintaining it. The dentist or orthodontist will also give you a set time for a follow-up visit to get a new set of aligners.
- Follow-up Check-ups
Your first Invisalign aligner is not the last. There will be several in the duration of your treatment. The dentist may schedule your check-up every week, or for a month or 2 at a time depending on the movement of your teeth. You will be given a new set of aligners to follow your treatment plan.
What to Expect?
Orthodontic treatments like Invisalign is a process that comes with new experiences. Those who had to wear braces and retainers as a child or teen had to deal with mouth sores and other discomforts. Invisalign promises fewer problems. During your treatment, especially in the first week, these are things that you need to expect:
- Mouth Sores – Those who wore braces know that mouth sores are a mainstay. However, despite the clear and plastic aligners of Invisalign, there are still some patients who reported experiencing mouth sores. Just like wearing other orthodontic instruments, the teeth and gums will be compressed, which can cause tenderness in the mouth. Fortunately, this feeling of tenderness will not last for a long time as the mouth will eventually adapt to the changes.
- Minor Speech Disruptions – As a patient wearing Invisalign aligners, you may notice some speech changes. This happens as the tongue adjusts to the device. However, this will disappear in a few days. The slight lisp will go as your mouth gets used to the aligners.
- Removing Frequently – Unlike braces and retainers that are impossible to remove on your own, you can easily take off your Invisalign aligners when eating. The dentist will instruct you to maximize its straightening efforts so you would need to wear it for most of the day. However, because you can easily take it off and put it back on, you do not need to alter your regular dietary choices.
- Cleaning – Since the instrument would be covering your teeth and gums, it causes germs to build up between the device and your teeth. You would not want to risk getting tooth decay at the end of the treatment so you need to clean it thoroughly each time.
- Quicker Treatment Duration – Unlike other treatments, Invisalign quick treatment is your best friend if you are a little impatient about seeing results. Some patients would report seeing their teeth shift in as early as wearing the first mould.
- Minimal Lifestyle Changes – What many patients love about Invisalign treatment duration is they need very little lifestyle adjustments. You can still enjoy the food and drinks that you used to enjoy and do the things you love to do.
Invisalign is a convenient and easy-to-use orthodontic treatment that attracts patients with crossbites, underbites, overbites, and widely spaced teeth. These serve to help address patients’ concerns not only for aesthetic reasons but for health-related ones as well. This treatment has been dubbed as the clear alternative to braces.
The journey to using clear and custom-made plastic aligners will be customized according to your needs and lifestyle. Expect that you can go about your usual routine while your teeth move and shift into their proper places slowly. The results typically become visible within 6 months to a year of treatment.
For Invisalign treatment, Simcoe Smile Dental is your oral health partner. Michael Todd has been practicing his profession for over 20 years. Armed with continuous education, he brings his new knowledge into his practice to improve our services. Together with his team of dental professionals, patients get the quality service that they deserve. We would be happy to accommodate you. Our Invisalign treatment procedure and cost work on your budget.
We encourage you to call us at (905)-728-2321 or fill in the form to schedule a consult. We hold offices from Monday to Friday and on Saturdays by appointment.