If you’ve ever consider fixing your crooked teeth or your pesky bite issues, I’m guessing you immediately ruled out that thought because you do not want to spend two years or longer wearing metal braces. I can’t blame you for having that reservation about braces. I was a kid once. I remember the teasing and embarrassment that came with wearing metal braces. So it’s no surprises that adults would want to avoid that same hassle later in life.
My office offers an incredible discreet way to straighten teeth known as Invisalign. This treatment isn’t like traditional orthodontic methods because it uses plastic aligners to gradually straighten the teeth. The aligners are removable and virtually invisible, which means you can have your teeth straightened without anyone even knowing that you’re having them straightened.
Now that you have a small introduction to Invisalign and its aesthetic superiority to traditional metal braces, today I want to expand on the topic of Invisalign and tell you why more and more dentists are referring Invisalign over traditional metal braces.
Using Invisalign, patients are issued a series of trays, and treatment typically last 12 to 18 months. Invisalign treatment is virtually invisible, and the trays can be easily removed for eating and cleaning. Because Invisalign uses clear aligners, there is an obvious aesthetic advantage with Invisalign treatment over metal braces. That much is rather obvious. But there’s another reason why patients with crooked teeth might consider Invisalign: It’s less invasive to your cheeks, lips, and gums and overall oral health.
The Safe Way to Straighten Teeth
We recommend that patients fix crooked teeth or misaligned teeth for cosmetic reasons and even bites and functionality issues. Crooked teeth make it harder for patients to properly clean their teeth, which paves the way for cavities and other dental issues like gum disease. Aside from the health aspects, crooked or impacted teeth can even sometimes be painful for patients!
Millions of Americans receive orthodontic treatment every year, and a majority of those patients will have metal brackets and wires. Those of you who have had braces know that braces can cut the gums, cheeks, and lips. You probably already know that your teeth can be very tender after wire tightenings and adjustments. With Invisalign, there is no distracting uncomfortable metal in your mouth. The entire treatment involves only plastic aligners, and those will not be fixed to your teeth.
Another reason dentists and patients agree that Invisalign is a safe orthodontic treatment is that the aligners can be removed for cleaning and eating. Consider this: with braces, even if you brush your teeth twice a day, you still have permanent pieces of metal keeping you from cleaning every surface of your teeth. It’s common for patients with braces to see an increase in cavities because it’s difficult to properly brush and floss every area of the mouth.
That’s not a problem with Invisalign. Patients with Invisalign simply pop out the aligners when they are ready to brush their teeth.
I love recommending Invisalign to my patients because it gives them the power during their own treatments. Patients are instructed to wear the aligners for at least 22 hours every day, but it would be OK to remove the aligners during special occasions.
Some of my patients had braces when they were younger, and the brackets did a number to their enamel. It’s a fact that some of us simply have weak enamel, and it’s possible that metal brackets can permanently damage the enamel on our teeth. Enamel is the hardest substance in our body, but once it erodes, it cannot be replace with anything other than a restorative veneer or crown. That’s why patients with weak or poor enamel can still straighten their teeth using Invisalign. The treatment will not permanently change the enamel on your teeth or irritate the gums, cheeks, or lips.
There have been more than one million successful Invisalign cases and more dentists are earning their Invisalign certifications every day. The product is proven and can transform your smile better than you could have imagined.
To schedule an Invisalign consultation, call our office today at 248-972-8720.
