An Invisalign® Dentist Provides The Facts About Straightening Teeth

As an Invisalign dentist, many people come in looking for ways to straighten their teeth.  We have several methods of doing so and have found that wearing clear aligners can be incredibly effective for our adult patients.  They are more convenient and easy to wear than metal braces because they come out while eating and brushing teeth. As such, they provide a greater level of flexibility which our patients tend to appreciate.  While the benefits of this procedure are widely known, there are still some common misconceptions.  With that in mind, here is what you need to know.

Timing of the Treatment

How long it will take to straighten your teeth will depend on their current position.  Many people think that aligners can straighten their teeth faster, but the reality is that teeth must move in a set timeframe in order to prevent unnecessary irritation.  Speeding up the process unnecessarily can lead to damage.  Whether you are wearing braces or Invisalign, the timeframe will be similar.  One way it can speed up is that you can switch your aligners out at home, which means that you don't have to wait to schedule an orthodontic adjustment.  This may save you a month or so, but the overall treatment time will remain fairly similar.

Cost and Affordability

As an Invisalign dentist, we hear from a lot of patients that want to straighten their teeth but are worried that wearing aligners will be too expensive or more expensive than braces. This really depends on the extent of the treatment, but the prices are similar, in general.  In our office, we don't want finances to stand in the way of you straightening your teeth. As such, speak with our office staff about payment plans and other solutions.

The Process

Many people make the mistake of thinking that using Invisalign is as simple as having a retainer created and wearing it.  This is understandable considering that the clear aligners resemble a retainer.  They are, however, completely different.  The aligners are created in the Invisalign lab using computer imaging.  Each one focuses on moving specific teeth, and the subsequent aligners pick up where the old one left off.  This makes it a fairly complicated system and important to wear each of your aligners in the right order.  Typically you have to, otherwise they won't fit.  Once you have worn an aligner long enough, it will start to feel loose, signifying that it is time to put a new one in. When you are done with the process, you will be given a retainer to wear for a period of time in order to ensure that your teeth do not move back to their initial position.

As an Invisalign dentist, we are confident in the results that this procedure produces and encourage you to visit our office so that we can examine your teeth, answer any other questions you have, and help you to get started.  Working together, we can improve your smile.