So you want to straighten your smile – but you don’t want to spend one to three years wearing metallic braces. The solution may be as simple as Invisalign, a treatment which 12 million people (including three million teenagers) have already received to straighten their teeth!
What Is Invisalign?
When you receive Invisalign treatment, you wear a series of custom aligners designed to gently and gradually reposition your teeth into a straighter smile. Invisalign aligners are made of a proprietary thermoplastic called SmartTrack. Clear, flexible and metal-free, Invisalign aligners are comfortable and virtually invisible while they are worn.
What Is the Invisalign Process?
Invisalign treatment begins with a consultation with your dentist. They will assess your smile and determine whether you are a viable candidate for Invisalign. Once you decide to move forward, your dentist will create a 3D image of your teeth and plan out where pressure must be gradually applied in order to gently force them into alignment.
Your dentist will instruct you to wear your Invisalign aligners for 20 to 22 hours per day. They will also provide you with a new set of aligners every one to two weeks, as these are necessary to continue placing gentle pressure against misaligned teeth.
Invisalign treatment typically lasts nine months to a year, although less complex cases may be resolved in as few as six months. Regardless of the degree of realignment your smile needs, you’ll begin noticing positive results in just a few weeks
Once you have finished Invisalign treatment, your dentist will likely advise wearing a retainer. A retainer will help to prevent your teeth from shifting out of alignment, but it is typically only worn to bed.
What Are the Benefits of Invisalign?
First and foremost, Invisalign works. According to a study recently published in BMC Oral Health, there are no statistical differences in the outcomes provided by traditional braces and Invisalign aligners. Put another way, Invisalign treatment is typically just as effective as metallic braces!
Unlike traditional braces, the patient may remove their Invisalign aligners whenever they please. That means they don’t have to restrict which foods they eat, and it also means they can enjoy an easier time flossing and brushing than they would have had they worn metal braces.
While Invisalign liners are nearly imperceptible while worn, many people choose to remove them before important occasions such as job interviews and weddings. They may also remove their aligners if they wish to avoid damaging them while playing sports.
Better yet, supple and smooth Invisalign aligners cause zero irritation to soft tissues in the mouth. There is no need for orthodontic wax, and there is no risk of a wire breaking free to poke or pierce the gums.
Does Invisalign Hurt?
Invisalign treatment works by applying constant pressure against misaligned teeth. While some patients do report mild discomfort, they typically only experience it during the first few days of treatment. Wearing Invisalign liners is almost universally regarded as more comfortable than traditional braces (although metallic braces are typically prescribed to treat more serious cases of misalignment).
It must also be noted that new Invisalign patients may encounter slight difficulty speaking while they are wearing their aligners. If you experience a slight lisp, it should subside within the couple of days it usually takes for the tongue to become accustomed to the aligners.
Can Anyone Get Invisalign?
Invisalign treatment is suitable for correcting mild to moderate misalignment of the teeth, as well as gaps and crowding. It is frequently prescribed to patients who formerly wore metallic braces and whose teeth have shifted out of alignment over previous years.
Invisalign treatment is typically not suitable for patients with extremely crooked teeth, as well as crossbite, overbite and underbite. For these conditions traditional metallic braces by an orthodontist are still advisable.
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Would you like to learn more about how you can straighten your teeth without having to wear traditional braces? Then we welcome you to contact Centrasota Dental in St. Cloud, MN today to schedule a consultation! Our prosthodontist Dr. Congdon and our team are always available to discuss our wide range of routine and cosmetic dentistry services.
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