Invisalign Flashcards
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign braces are a transparent alternative to the more common metal wire braces. Instead, you wear clear incremental aligners that place consistent pressure on your teeth to promote sustained movement to a more desired, straightened position, making your smile beautiful again.
Your New York City dentist has several options to straighten your teeth. The benefits of straightened teeth go beyond cosmetic. A happier, more confident smile is really just an added bonus.
Straightening your teeth ensures a correct bite, even wear, easier cleaning and a reduction in jaw and joint problems. When your teeth are cleaner, your mouth is healthier. Since your mouth’s health is often an indicator of the rest of your well-being, keeping your mouth clean contributes to your overall wellness.
Procedure for Invisalign
Your NYC dentist, open on Sunday as well as Saturday, discusses your dental needs and desires. An evaluation can determine if Invisalign is right for you. Your dentist (also considered an Invisalign doctor) takes impressions and uses a 3D scanner to produce accurate images of your teeth and jaw. After determining that Invisalign is the correct course of action, he develops a custom treatment plan to chart the movement of your teeth.
There’s Invisalign for teens as well as for adults, and some have colored dots to indicate correct usage. The lab makes custom Invisalign braces from patented material that gradually shifts your teeth into the desired position. You have to change aligners every one to two weeks, depending on your treatment plan, with checkups occurring every four to six weeks.
To ensure a tight grip on your teeth, your dentist may recommend Invisalign attachments, a small tooth-colored, button-like device that’s cemented to your teeth. After your treatment plan is complete — in six to 18 months — your Invisalign doctor removes the attachments. You may then get an Invisalign retainer, which you have to wear only at night.
Conditions Suited to Invisalign Braces
Invisalign corrects a range of conditions. For example:
Gaps in your teeth. This condition occurs due to abnormal jaw growth or missing teeth. You can develop gum problems because your gums are exposed through the gaps. These problems include periodontal pockets, the resting place of bacteria.
When your upper teeth bite over your lower teeth, you have an overbite. This can result in uneven wear of your lower teeth. Jaw pain and joint problems can also develop.
Lower teeth that protrude past your front teeth result in an underbite. Like an overbite, this condition can lead to pain and uneven wear, but of the upper teeth.
Open bite. If you have any teeth that don’t make physical contact with opposing teeth, you have an open bite. This is a more serious issue that can cause poor or painful chewing, speech problems and joint conditions.
Overly crowded. Quite simply, your mouth is too small for your teeth. Crooked teeth can get worse if left untreated, setting conditions up for plaque accumulation, tooth decay and the chance of gum disease.
Due to genetics or injury, your upper and lower jaws might be misaligned, and one or more of your upper teeth bite on the inside of your lower teeth. This causes uneven wear, gum disease and potential bone loss.
Invisalign vs. Braces
While traditional braces still have their place, being more effective for complex problems, many choose Invisalign for its advantages, such as:
Shorter overall treatment time because you’re changing aligners frequently
Close to 20 years of satisfied clients
Improved self-esteem and appearance due to a virtually invisible dental appliance
Easily removed for eating, brushing and flossing, cleaning, full-contact sports and playing a musical instrument
Fewer dental visits
No diet restrictions
No injuries due to broken wires or brackets
Wearing Invisalign braces 20 to 22 hours a day — and changing aligners every week or two — the length of time for treatment (six to 18 months) is much shorter than for traditional braces (two years).
Concerns for Invisalign
There are several cases for which Invisalign isn’t appropriate. If you have any of the following conditions, Invisalign may not be for you:
Existing bridge work
Back teeth bite issues
A need to rotate canines or premolars
A need to move teeth vertically
Lack of discipline — especially in a young patient who won’t keep the aligners in place for the required amount of time per day
An inability to brush after every meal to avoid staining
Invisalign braces — with their transparent design and quicker treatment periods — are a good step in remedying your crooked or misaligned teeth.
