Clear aligners like Invisalign provide an effective alternative to orthodontic braces. They are ideal for patients who need mild to moderate correction to straighten teeth or correct misaligned jaws. While they move teeth by force over a period of time, just like orthodontic braces, the manner in which they do it differs. Let’s take a closer look at how does Invisalign work to straighten crooked teeth.
What Are Clear Aligners?
Clear aligners are made from a special flexible plastic that is transparent. They are fitted over the front of your teeth and are worn in a similar fashion to a mouth guard. Because they are considered to be a more sophisticated type of orthodontic treatment they are best suited for more mature adolescents and adults.
How Does Invisalign Work?
Aligners apply pressure to the teeth from all angles. When you have your initial consultation, your dental practitioner will map out all the positions your teeth need to move into as they straighten out. Each position is marked by a new set of aligners. Your dentist will give you a few different packs of Invisalign boxes, and every two weeks, you will start using a new box.
What is very different about aligners when compared to traditional metal braces, is that the aligners can control and limit which teeth move and when. With traditional braces, all of the teeth are placed under pressure but aligners can move specific teeth at certain times in the treatment period.
Changing your clear aligners every second week is similar to having your orthodontic braces adjusted by your dentist. If you were wearing metal braces, you would need to have them adjusted because, as your teeth move into position, the pressure system created by the wires and brackets changes, and needs to be changed.
By the end of the treatment period in your plan, you should be able to see a straighter smile in the mirror.
Is It Painful?
It is normal to experience some discomfort at the beginning of treatment, and when you swap your aligners for new ones.
While the aligners apply gradual pressure to shift teeth, it can be uncomfortable when they are first put under that pressure.
What Are The Benefits Of Aligners?
Straighten Teeth Easily
The effects of straightening teeth are undeniable for your confidence and beauty aesthetic, but it is also important to straighten teeth for dental hygiene reasons too. Crooked teeth are more difficult to keep clean because they create very small spaces that your toothbrush can’t get to. This means they can harbour bacteria and debris, which can lead to dental decay and tooth loss
Straighten Your Teeth Discreetly
Many patients are uncomfortable with the prospect of wearing traditional metal braces because of the aesthetics. For this reason, a lot of people delay or ignore orthodontic treatment, and often teeth become more crooked and other dental complications arise.
Aligners Are Removable
Patients also often feel bound by their braces because they can’t come off until the end of the treatment period. Aligners are designed to be removed for eating and drinking because the plastic is easy to stain and make misshapen. But just because they can be removed doesn’t mean that they should be.
In order for you to meet your teeth straightening goals, you do need to wear your Invisalign for most of the day, or at least for 22 hours. While it may be tempting to remove them for photos or social gatherings, this is not advisable as you can delay the results of your treatment and set yourself back.
Your aligners and your teeth need to be cleaned and flossed before the aligner can be put back into your mouth so that bacteria do not get trapped between them.
Is Invisalign Treatment Suitable For Everyone?
In order to qualify for Invisalign treatment, you do need to meet some criteria
You Should Have Good Dental Hygiene Practices
In order to keep your aligners in good working condition, and also barely visible, you must remove them before eating and drinking, and clean them properly, according to the prescribed instructions. Not cleaning them can lead to plaque build-up and decay. It can also cause the aligners to become discoloured.
You Should Be Disciplined To Wear Them As Instructed
If you don’t wear them for the minimum time every day it is unlikely that you will meet your Invisalign treatment goals. You have to wear them for 20 to 22 hours a day in order for them to be effective. Typically this means they are best suited to mature adolescents and adults who want teeth correction.
You Must Be Prepared To Do The Full Treatment
It might be tempting to quit treatment once you start to see your teeth straightening, but you must continue with your treatment through to completion. If you don’t you run the risk of your teeth slipping out of position. It is also possible that your dentist will give you a retainer to wear after treatment, which you will generally wear while you are asleep. This is an important step that should not be neglected.
To find out more about how does Invisalign work, it’s best to speak to a professional. Please contact us for an appointment:
Phone: (02) 9158 6213
Pyrmont NSW 2009
Phone: (02) 9158 6756
Illawong, NSW 2234
Phone: (02) 9159 6083
Sylvania Waters NSW 2224
