Invisalign

Invisalign Mission Hills

Are you considering Invisalign but stress about the treatment time, cost and maintenance versus traditional braces? Allow our orthodontists here at Devonshire Dental Group guide you through your best options and find a game plan that works best for you.

Invisalign braces are clear aligners made of nearly invisible yet comfortable FDA approved, BPA-free, polyurethane plastic. An added benefit to Invisalign is the fact that these alignment trays are removable. They attach to patient’s teeth by strategically placing cemented “buttons” on a few teeth. This added ability to remove alignment trays versus the traditional 24/7 wear of metal braces can also be a great disadvantage. Invisalign users tend to be more incline to remove the alignment trays more often than needed and thus lengthen the time of their treatment process.

Below are a few other advantages to the Invisalign system:

Improved Oral Hygiene

Using a removable orthodontic appliance, will allow you to brush and clean your teeth much easier than if you were wearing metal braces.

A Discreet Look

If you prefer your orthodontic treatment be discreet or if you feel that metal braces don’t suit your needs, a transparent form of orthodontic treatment may suit you.

More Dietary Choices

When using traditional metal braces, some diet modifications are necessary to protect the metal wiring and brace frame from damage. With clear aligners, you have way more dietary freedom due to the freedom allowed from removing your Invisalign tray during snacks and meals.

Comfort

The latest material that Invisalign is made from is called SmartTrack. It’s the newest, flexible, soft and comfortable material being used with clear alignment trays.

Teeth-Grinding Protection

Clear aligners can function as thin nightguards that will protect your teeth from excessive wear and tear if you have a teeth-grinding or clenching habit.

Clear aligner technology has continued to improve over the years and can now correct many malocclusions that once would have once been too complicated for this method of treatment. Some cases to exist where traditional braces would be more beneficial to the patient. Your dentist can discuss this possibility with you in further detail.

How Invisalign Works

Invisalign clear aligners function in the same sense traditional braces do. The alignment trays apply carefully controlled force to teeth so they can gradually move into an ideal position. Invisalign trays are made of a clear and flexible plastic instead of metal like traditional braces would be made from.

The Process

Your dentist will discuss and design a custom tailored plan to move your teeth from their current positions into the best alignment possible. Movement takes place in small increments over several dozen stages.Each stage comes with a set of 2 Invisalign “trays” or “aligners”. One tray is build to fit over your top teeth and the other made to fit the bottom. Typically, patients will wear their first set of trays for two weeks, during a minimum of 20 hours per day. Once the time with the first set of aligners is complete, you will be allowed to move on to the next set of aligners. You will need until your to repeat this process until teeth are correctly aligned.

While clear alignment trays a often recommended to adults more than teens, Invisalign has made the effort to improve on their “tray” design. Over the last several years, two features were added to make Invisalign an appropriate orthodontic treatment method for teenagers. Special “eruption tabs” were added to hold the appropriate amount of space open for molars that have not fully grown in. InvisalignTeen® also features “compliance indicators” built into the aligner material. These indicators will fade with wear. This allows parents, dentists, and the teens themselves, to make sure the trays are being worn as prescribed. Treatment with Invisalign can only be successful if they are being worn as prescribed.