Crooked or misaligned teeth can ruin your smile and interfere with good oral health. Now you no longer need to wear metal braces for a smile makeover when you undergo teeth straightening using Invisalign clear aligners.
While metal braces are still available, teens and adults have discovered they can enjoy subtle teeth straightening with an alternative method that has many advantages over permanently attached metal brace. Invisalign’s advantages include:
They are removable. This one aspect makes this method an overwhelming favorite. The aligners are removed for daily oral maintenance making brushing and flossing easy to perform. With metal braces, flossing can be very tedious and brushing might miss many areas allowing plaque to form and build.
The aligners are removed for meals and snacks. This means no foods are off limits. Simply remove the aligner, enjoy your meal or snack, and replace. With regular braces, many crunchy foods like fresh vegetables and fruits, snacks and even bread can result in a bent or broken wire. This requires a trip to the dentist for repair.
They are virtually invisible. This feature is critical for morale and self-confidence.
They are comfortable. Invisalign aligners are strong enough to slowly shift teeth to their correct placement, but there are no wires or sharp edges to abrade soft oral tissues.
How can you achieve teeth straightening with a method that seems so easy? Technological advances in teeth straightening allow your dentist and the Invisalign laboratory to fabricate a series of aligners that are updated every two weeks. Each new aligner will feel a little tight as this is the way teeth are gently shifted to their new occlusion.
Invisalign patients are encouraged to wear their aligners a minimum of twenty to twenty-two hours every day to achieve the desired result in the designated time frame.
At the conclusion of the straightening portion of treatment, the patient will be given a retainer to wear. This retainer’s job is to hold teeth in place while teeth develop a memory of their new location. The retainer looks much like one of the aligners, and wearing it as prescribed is a critical part of treatment. Failure to wear the retainer may allow teeth to shift back to their original placement.
Invisalign provides a carefree means to a smile makeover that you will enjoy for a lifetime. Contact us today at (972) 218-0078 to discuss your options!
