What if, one day, you discovered a genie in a bottle, willing to grant you three wishes. Would one of your wishes be for magically straight teeth without having to wear braces? To have your teeth magically straighten without anybody ever really knowing that you even wore braces or had anything to straighten your teeth?
What if we told you about a way to straighten your teeth without metal braces? No magic genie? No magic lamp? No problem! Let’s go with the next best thing— Invisalign.
Invisalign is the “magic way” to straighten your teeth without metal braces. We use a series of clear trays that our orthodontists custom design for your unique mouth. The best thing about this process is that you can take them out for meals, to brush and floss, and for those special occasions. The added bonus is that when you are wearing them they’re nearly invisible. Most people will never even know that you are wearing anything at all!
Does Invisalign work?
The quick and simple answer is YES. Invisalign most definitely works. A lot of people think that the people that are the most interested in Invisalign are older patients that do not want other people to know that they have braces or straightening appliances. Although there may be a lot of older patients interested in Invisalign, another population of patients or group of people that are highly interested in Invisalign are actually teen patients. Teens love the thought of Invisalign and have been looking into it more and more over the years. Regardless of age, all patients tend to question the efficacy of Invisalign: Does Invisalign work?
With Invisalign, you wear clear plastic trays that sit on your teeth for approximately 20 hours of the day. Although the duration that you wear your Invisalign trays is determined in an individualized, case by case basis by your specific orthodontist. You should remove the trays to eat, to practice proper oral hygiene, and to clean the trays themselves. Your orthodontist as well as their team or assistants will place composite buttons on your teeth to help create an area that will have force or pressure exerted on it. This will help your teeth move.
Similar to how braces help your teeth move by creating various forces, Invisalign also induces various forces to help your teeth move. Also, with Invisalign, in a way similar to braces, you will have to get them “adjusted.” The difference here though is that with braces, you switch out the braces wires, making the braces feel like they are tighter. With Invisalign on the other hand, you switch out the clear plastic aligner trays. You may also have the composite buttons adjusted along the way as well. This will help your teeth move into the desired positions.
So, overall, yes Invisalign most certainly works, so long as you take on the responsibility, listen to your orthodontist, wear the trays for the recommended amount of time, clean them, and switch them out as often as your orthodontist instructs you to.
What is the Invisalign criteria?
In a similar fashion to braces, the Invisalign criteria is mainly for individuals that are interested in straightening their teeth. In contrast to braces though, for individuals interested in Invisalign, they really need to consider the fact that they are more responsible for their treatment outcome. For this, the patients need to be more self disciplined.
For Invisalign, patients are required to wear their clear plastic trays, or aligners, for a certain amount of time every day. This time is determined by your orthodontist. Wearing your Invisalign trays for the allotted or recommended period of time is crucial in order to see results in a timely fashion. If you are not wearing the Invisalign trays for the appropriate duration, or if you are not switching your trays when recommended to, you may prolong your treatment and not receive your optimal treatment outcome or results.
With the Invisalign trays, it is also incredibly important to remember that they can get dirty, that plaque and bacteria can build up on the trays themselves. Because of this, it is critical to regularly clean your trays. This also requires more self discipline and responsibility on the part of the patient. With regards to eating, the Invisalign aligner trays need to be removed during the time of eating. Some patients forget to put the trays back in after they are done eating or prefer to leave them out for longer periods of time after eating. The more you leave your trays out of your mouth, the longer it will take for your teeth to appropriately move to the desired positions. Because of all of this, if you are not following the recommendations of your orthodontist with regards to your Invisalign treatment, you are likely prolonging your orthodontic treatment, the results and the outcome, whether or not you are aware of this happening.
Because of all of the aforementioned recommendations and requirements with Invisalign, the Invisalign criteria is set for patients that are highly motivated and self-disciplined. Those patients are the ones that will see the most optimal results with Invisalign treatment, in the most timely and appropriate fashion.
Overall, with Invisalign, the process is simple and efficient. We offer Invisalign in Sioux Falls, and are excited to help you reach your straight teeth goals and dreams! If you want to know more about this procedure or any of the procedures that we offer, or even if you just have questions about Invisalign, please feel free to contact us and set up a time to come in and visit with us.
Source: “Invisalign: Are You A Good Candidate?,” Dr. Charles Gemmi, Orthodontics Limited