Over the years, orthodontic services have become more accessible and more comfortable to incorporate in your daily life to achieve that perfect smile. If you have begun a research journey on available Orthodontic treatment options, you have probably heard of Invisalign and its many features for a positive dental experience. Like metal or ceramic braces, Invisalign is a treatment option that works to align your teeth into the desired position, with a few extra perks that you lack with options like traditional braces. While Invisalign sounds like a good deal for anyone about to begin Orthodontic treatment, you should know that it may not be the best option, especially if your teeth alignment problems are more advanced.
Despite this, setting an appointment with your dentist is the surest way to determine whether you are set to begin Orthodontic treatment using Invisalign. With a skilled and experienced dentist who specializes in Orthodontics, you are sure to receive all the necessary information on this mode of treatment, to make sure it is the best option for you. At Tarzana Dental Care clinic, we have worked with many clients in Tarzana, California, to provide the best Orthodontic treatment using Invisalign. You will enjoy each step of your journey to a fantastic smile, thanks to our skilled team that puts your needs and overall health first.
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign is a type of Orthodontic treatment where clear plastic trays in the shape of your teeth are fitted in your mouth, for gradual teeth alignment. The name is coined from the plastic trays' clear appearance, meaning that the retainers will barely be visible to anyone standing next to you. Invisalign retainers are made of a certified BPA-free plastic, to prevent exposing you to harmful types of plastic that may cause adverse effects for your health in later stages. Therefore, it is a treatment option you can trust, mainly because your dentist will consider all factors before beginning treatment. For most people, Invisalign is an excellent alternative to traditional braces, as it gives you more liberty for your Orthodontic treatment.
While Invisalign treatment continues to gain popularity over traditional braces, we think you must understand that it only aligns mild to moderate misaligned tooth or jaw problems. With such an essential point in consideration, we emphasize on making a detailed examination consultation, to ensure that your dentist confirms that the option is suitable for your case.
How to Know if Invisalign is the Best Option For You
When you have several Orthodontic options on the table, you might want to weigh them carefully, learn of the pros and cons of each treatment option, and the overall experience you can expect. With Invisalign, several modifications to treatment are set in place to ensure that you undergo smooth teeth alignment that requires minimum maintenance and adjustments, compared to other options like traditional metal braces. However, before delving into the characteristics of Invisalign treatment, it is essential to define it, especially If it is your first time coming across information on this mode of treatment.
Here are some of the essential points to check off to help you determine if Invisalign is the best option for you:
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You Have Tooth Misalignments
Typically, we all face several challenges and self-consciousness, especially when it comes to our smiles. Among the leading causes of such experiences are teeth misalignments that may cause several dental problems for you. For example, if you have teeth gaps, you may feel the need to close the spaces by aligning your teeth closer together, to ensure that small food particles do not remain on the teeth spaces, leading to severe gum and enamel infections.
For others, the main problem could be teeth crowding that causes some teeth to grow out of line on the jaw bone. Crowded teeth may also cause a lot of discomfort if they push the front teeth too much, leading to turned teeth that may interfere with the normal alignment aesthetic. Crooked teeth are another form of misalignment that often arises as soon as you lose your milk teeth, and the permanent teeth begin to replace them. The condition causes some teeth to grow in front of or behind others, creating a significant difference.
With Invisalign treatment, you can take on any of these conditions, as long as they are mild or moderate enough to align using the plastic Invisalign trays. In no time, you will begin to notice the difference in different alignment problems that existed earlier, especially if you follow the dentist's instructions carefully.
On the other hand, if the dentist determines that your teeth misalignment is way more severe than you thought, you will have to consider braces to ensure that you receive beneficial treatment services. Most serious cases arise from misalignment problems from the molars and premolars that affect your mouth's entire dental placement. You will probably need extended services like teeth extractions, jawbone surgery, or even deep tissue extractions to remove some wisdom teeth that have not yet emerged from the gums. If this is your predicament, Invisalign will not be an option for you, because you will need a more robust and permanent application of pressure to the teeth that need to move for the best alignment.
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You Have Bite Alignment Problems
For some of our patients, the main problem stems from misaligned jaws, causing conditions like overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites. Each situation causes different dental alignment problems for you that also goes hand in hand with your teeth alignment. Among the most common bite alignment conditions is an overbite that causes your upper jaw to protrude over your lower jaw. The result is an uncomfortable feeling when you try to close your mouth, especially when trying to sleep. Underbites and crossbites also present a share of challenges, including improper chewing alignment, which causes you to bite your soft tissue continually.
When your dentist qualifies you for Invisalign treatment to correct any of these jaw misalignments, we recommend sticking to the guidelines provided in wearing your Invisalign, for a longer-lasting and quick action treatment process. However, like in teeth misalignment treatment, you may find that your jaw alignment problems are linked to more significant issues that warrant invasive procedures like surgery to correct the condition entirely. As a result, it is necessary to remain open to several other treatment options if Invisalign will be insufficient for your bite alignment.
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You Would Prefer Having Fewer Dentist Appointments
If you have been around someone who underwent Orthodontic treatment using braces, then you will understand how hectic and sometimes inconvenient constant dental appointments are, especially if you run on a busy or versatile schedule that is very unpredictable. Often, the frequency of traditional Orthodontic treatment methods arises from the need to make adjustments on the metal wire, to keep the teeth alignment going. On top of this, the metal brackets and wires found in braces are prone to accidental breakage, mainly if you chose to hang on to your cherished candy treats or other hard foods. However, with Invisalign, you will have very few appointments set, mostly to check on your dental alignment progress.
The simplicity of Invisalign treatment is thanks to the improved method of how the Orthodontic process aligns your teeth along the jaw. On your first dental appointment, your dentist will run several checks to ensure that your overall dental health is in check. To do this, we will request to take several photographs of your mouth, along with X-Ray and 3-D imaging, to study your internal jaw and teeth structure in preparation for the Invisalign treatment.
Moreover, we will assess your teeth misalignment to determine whether the problem arises from jawbone placement or teeth crowding. For the assessment, we will have you bite into our specially crafted dental mold that takes your teeth' shape to create a replica of your dental structure. The process is entirely painless, and you will probably feel like you are biting into a large chunk of sugarless gum. We direct our patients to bite hard into the mold to ensure we get the best teeth impressions.
After the dental assessment and imaging, you are free to leave the clinic, as we work on creating the Invisalign plastic trays specially designed to fit your teeth. We use advanced 3-D computer technology to get the best replication of Invisalign trays for your teeth. Thanks to the images we take, we can make projections of your gradual teeth alignment, meaning that we will produce all the Invisalign trays you need for a significant period of treatment.
When the formulation is complete, we will call you in for a second appointment to collect your Invisalign retainers. During this appointment, we will also provide a small tutorial on how to wear, remove, and clean your Invisalign. After fitting the first set of Invisalign, you will be already on the way to achieving your desired smile.
Since we provide you with different sets of Invisalign, you will need to change them every two weeks to give you a continuous service in teeth alignment. In doing so, we empower you to handle your overall alignment progress, meaning that we will only call you to confirm that treatment is ongoing as expected. Upon the lapse of projected total treatment time, we will call you in for another appointment to assess your new teeth placement, before marking your treatment as complete.
Ideally, you would come in for these three primary appointments, which is enormous compared to other Orthodontic treatment requirements. However, it would be best if you came in for more check-ups to allow your dentist to guide you through the process for a smoother Invisalign alignment process. Even so, the number of check-up appointments we recommend for you is way less than the average required in traditional braces treatment, meaning that you save yourself from making numerous trips to the clinic.
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You Prefer Unnoticeable Orthodontic Treatment
When it comes down to it, not everyone wants all the attention you are bound to receive when undergoing Orthodontic treatment using metal braces. If you would like a more discreet and inconspicuous treatment option, Invisalign will work correctly for you. The clear plastic trays take the shape of your teeth in a modified form to allow room for alignment, as you get to enjoy your discreet treatment.
Invisalign is a perfect Orthodontic treatment option for you, mainly if your career path revolves around being in front of the camera as an actor/actress, model, or a news anchor. Alternatively, you may choose inconspicuous treatment only from personal preferences, if you don't like drawing too much attention to yourself. Either way, you will receive all necessary dental benefits from the treatment to help you attain an improved smile.
A vital pointer to always have in mind is that the clarity of your Invisalign plastic depends on how well you clean it. You want to maintain high dental hygiene levels to prevent plastic discoloration that may leave your Invisalign in an unappealing hazy color. However, this should not be a significant problem for you because you will change your Invisalign trays every two weeks. What's more, you can remove the Invisalign when eating or drinking colored food/drinks to prevent a significant discoloration.
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Comfort is a Big Deal For You
If you are not ready to compromise on a positive and comfortable dental alignment experience, Invisalign should be at the top of your list. The 3-D technology used to formulate the plastic tray retainers captures your exact teeth alignment, to provide accurate measurements that let you fit the aligners into your teeth seamlessly. Additionally, the compact design still ensures that your teeth undergo gentle adjustment that eradicates all the pressure and discomfort you may feel when using braces as your Orthodontic treatment option.
You also get to enjoy a smooth finishing on the plastic Invisalign appliances that prevent the abrasion and scarring of your soft mouth tissue, especially your inner lips. We ensure that the plastic trays have soft curves to fit each tooth compression for a better fit. In contrast, metal brackets may be quite challenging to get used to because the brackets may have some small hooks to hold elastics in place to facilitate the movement of your teeth into the desired alignment. Therefore, you will find Invisalign more friendly and comfortable to use, as you dodge challenges related to discomfort and pain.
With Invisalign, continue relishing your best dishes without the fear of injuring your gums or breaking your appliances, as is commonly the case in treatment using braces. The advantage comes from the removable design of Invisalign that allows you to remove the aligners when it is time to eat, and restore them in your mouth when you are done. We will provide a small plastic box that we advise you to keep close each time you are getting ready for meals, to store the Invisalign. The box will prevent the need to wrap your aligners in cloth or napkins that often becomes cumbersome and expose the Invisalign to bacteria.
You will get to uphold your oral hygiene, because you can brush and floss your teeth regularly, without the interference of additional dental appliances. Moreover, since you can remove your Invisalign appliances, you will get to clean them separately with warm water, and an occasional soak in denture solution to disinfect them. With all the versatile features in the Invisalign design, your comfort will be secure even as you work towards better teeth alignment.
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You Have Good Self-Discipline
The removable feature of Invisalign appliances can be a blessing or a curse for you, depending on your self-discipline levels. Your dentist will recommend having your aligners on for up to twenty-two hours per day for optimum teeth alignment in the projected timeline. Therefore, it will be up to you to follow the guidelines and wear your Invisalign, even when it feels slightly unusual during the first few days.
Self-discipline will also involve keeping a clear schedule of when to change your appliances to prevent a delay in achieving your results. Typically, you will need to change the Invisalign every two weeks for a continuous adjustment process. However, we may make custom replacement dates, based on the severity of your dental misalignment. Sticking to your schedule will give you an easier time with treatment. Your teeth will not revert to their original positions from an inconsistency in changing your Invisalign as required.
If you struggle with dates, why not include reminders on your phone or laptop? It will go a long way to help you follow the dentist's directions and save you the cost of having an Invisalign set reformulated because your teeth reverted from mismanaged wearing periods and Invisalign replacement timelines.
Lastly, for a parent considering Invisalign for your child, we recommend coming in for a consultation that will help us determine if your child is ready. Usually, a younger child will have a harder time following the dentist's requirements to have the Invisalign on at all times, apart from when taking meals. To avoid the stress of having to follow up on your child even when he/she is in school, semi-permanent treatment options like metal braces would be a better idea.
Ultimately, your final determination will depend on all the mentioned points for consideration discussed above, with the help of your dentist, who provides detailed and professional information on Invisalign treatment.
Find an Invisalign Dentist Near Me
Any patient who would consider choosing Invisalign as his/her preferred mode of Orthodontic treatment will experience a pleasant treatment process that ends in the achievement of a straight beautiful smile. However, you need to consult your dentist to ensure that the choice is perfect to suit your needs, for a quick and effective teeth alignment process. Scheduling an appointment at Tarzana Dental Care clinic will give you access to some of the best dentists in California, to help you get started with your Invisalign Orthodontic treatment. Our many years of practice in the field will assure you of top professional dental advice and treatment, specially designed for you. Contact us today at 818-708-3232 and make an appointment.