Invisalign

Almost everyone is a great candidiate for Invisalign, it simply depends on what you want to fix and how complicated your case is. Invisalign is not always the best option for the most complicated cases. Sometimes more advanced orthodontic procedures are required for issues like large overbites, or in cases where the jaws need to be shifted. Invisalign can treat the following type of cases:

• Correcting crowded and crooked teeth
• Closing gaps and spaces
• Adjusting misaligned and deep bites
• Helping to reduce gummy smiles
• Fixing protruding teeth
• Many more smile defects!

How old are you?
Invisalign is perfect for older teenagers and adults. This patient base especially enjoys Invisalign because of it transparency. The teenage years come with enough discomfort to have to worry about braces. The desire for a more transparent option is obvious. Children and younger teenagers do not always make good candidates for Invisalign because their teeth are still growing.

 How dedicated are you to fixing your smile?
Invisalign is easy and a major benefit is you can remove your trays for eating and brushing. Otherwise, your trays must remain in your mouth for no less than 22 hours per day. Patients are instructed to wear a retainer shortly after removing their braces. However, it’s not uncommon for patients to neglect their post-treatment obligations. Therefore, their teeth begin to shift to the position they were in before treatment. Invisalign is the same way. If you are not dedicated to your treatment, you won’t get the results you want.

Invisalign: The 6 A’s:

Aligners – For invisalign to work properly, you must wear your aligners 22 hours a day and not go more than one hour at a time without wearing the aligner.

Attachments – These are small, tooth colored shapes that are attached to the teeth. They help the aligners to grab and position the tooth.

Adjustment – If the teeth are very crowded, it may be necessary reduce a small amount of tooth structure (tenths of a millimeter) between the teeth to create more room and speed up movement.

Additional Aligners – After your first full set of aligners, if your teeth are not exactly where we want them, it may be necessary to add additional aligners, called over-correction aligners. This is included in your case fee.

After – Retainers are needed after you complete your treatment. We recommend that our patients wear their retainers 22 hours a day for the first 3-6 months, and then every night thereafter.

Along The Way – Continue your recommended hygiene schedule in order to ensure the best tooth movement and protect the gum and bone during treatment.

Retainers are very important, whether you’ve used traditional metal braces or Invisalign. At first you will be required to wear your retainers 22 hours per day. This recommendation is based on many factors, including the severity of your initial problem, your age, and whether we are using the retainers to finalize a few tooth positions. The majority of our patients are on this schedule for 3-6 months. If the plan is followed then they can be reduced to wearing only at nighttime for 6 months. Nighttime only is highly recommended until 12 months of daily retainer wear has been accomplished.

After 12 months of continuous retainer wear, we often recommend that you continue to wear your retainers at night 3-5 times a week for life. The reason we recommend this cycle of wear is due to the slow shifting of teeth forward and inward as we get older. This movement occurs very slowly and in general takes decades to occur. However, it can be prevented through continued and consistent wear of retainers. We recommend that you replace your retainer every year to keep your smile looking the same way it looked the day you completed Invisalign. We can create enough retainers in advance so that you never have to worry about losing them, breaking them, or wearing them out, and it also saves money! We offer Vivera retainers from Invisalign. They are a set of four clear retainers, so you can use them or keep them for future use.