Services / Invisalign or Clear Straightening of the Teeth
Invisalign
Invisalign clear braces are the newest way to correct many dental problems that used to require years of orthodontic work with metal bonded to your teeth. Invisalign clear braces use clear plastic aligners to straighten and space teeth correctly. Invisalign clear braces can help to correct dental issues such as Crowding Problems, Spacing Problems, Crooked Teeth, or Malocclusion (Bite Problems).
In the past, the only way to straighten your smile was to have traditional metal braces with brackets and wires bonded to your teeth. This would limit the food you ate, cause soreness and irritation, not to mention self-consciousness or embarrassment about they way you looked and limit your ability to keep your teeth clean.
How Does Invisalign Work?
Instead of using brackets and wires to align the teeth as traditional braces do, the Invisalign system straightens teeth through a progressive series of clear plastic aligners. The aligners fit over the teeth, and patients wear them at all times, except while eating, brushing, and flossing. Over time, the aligners gradually move the teeth into proper alignment.
Benefits of the Invisalign System
The Invisalign system has significant advantages over traditional wire braces.
Since the aligners are made from a clear plastic material, they are virtually unnoticeable, and their smooth surface doesn’t pose a risk of irritating or cutting lips or gums with sharp brackets and wires. In addition, the aligners are removable, making dental care much easer than with traditional braces. You can also remove your aligners while eating, so there are no food restrictions with Invisalign.
The Invisalign Process
Invisalign clear braces
After your first evaluation visit, your doctor will help you determine if the Invisalign system is right for you. If you are a good candidate, you will return to for a second appointment so that you and your Dr. can create a personalized treatment plan to address your needs. He will take impressions of your teeth and send them to Invisalign so that your set of aligners can be custom crafted. Once your series of aligners is ready, you will visit us for a fitting where you will also receive guidance on how to use the system.
You will wear each aligner for two weeks and then replace it with the next in your series. Over the ensuing months, your teeth will gradually move into alignment as you progress through your aligners. For most patients, Invisalign treatment is complete in nine to 18 months. Periodic visits might be needed during this time so that your Dr. can make sure that your treatment plan is on track.
