Are you wondering if you could straighten your teeth with adult orthodontics? It’s a treatment that can be highly desirable, providing cosmetic benefits while potentially improving your oral health in Newcastle. Teeth that are significantly overlapping or crooked, or which don’t bite together correctly can become easier to brush and floss once they are straight, reducing the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Here at West Bowmanville Family Dental, we provide an adult-oriented orthodontic treatment called Invisalign. It’s a great alternative to wearing traditional metal braces, and the system is popular worldwide, using tried and tested technologies.
How Does Invisalign Work?
Unlike fixed braces that use brackets cemented onto your teeth and which are powered by wires, Invisalign uses clear BPA free plastic aligners that are almost invisible in the mouth. The aligners are custom-made, so they fit tightly over your teeth, using gentle forces to move your teeth precisely into new positions predetermined in your treatment plan. Treatment is planned so that you use a series of these aligners, and each set is worn for two weeks before you discard it and move onto the next set.
The exact number of aligners required depends on your treatment plan. Some people may only require a few sets of aligners, for example, if they only need to focus on straightening their front teeth and have orthodontic issues that are cosmetically oriented and are quick to correct. Cosmetically oriented treatment could only take a few months. Typically, most people complete Invisalign treatment in a year, and this system can correct even complex cases affecting your bite or problems with overcrowding or overlapping teeth.
What Are the Advantages of Invisalign?
One huge advantage of Invisalign treatment in Clarington is that it is so easy to use. You only need to make sure you wear the aligners at least 22 hours each day, but you can quickly remove them whenever you want to eat or drink, or when you need to brush and floss your teeth. There is no need to change your diet or the way you brush and floss your teeth. You can simply continue with your everyday routines. However, excellent compliance is essential for Invisalign to work correctly, so you must make sure you wear the aligners as directed, ideally only removing them for meals and oral care. If you forget to wear the aligners, it could significantly disrupt your treatment plan.
Get Involved with the Planning Process
Another nice thing about Invisalign is that you can become involved in the planning process. When you meet our Invisalign dentist in Courtice, they will gently examine your mouth, identifying the orthodontic problems requiring correction and checking to make sure Invisalign will provide the outcome you desire. Next, your teeth are scanned to create a digital impression, so there’s no need to wear and uncomfortable mouth tray. Digital impressions are incredibly accurate, creating 3-D images of your teeth.
Using Invisalign software, our dentist will plan your treatment, so your teeth are gradually moved into the correct positions. You get to view images based on a computer 3-D simulation, so you can see how your teeth will look once you have completed treatment. It’s an excellent system because you can check you are entirely happy with the predicted outcome, and most people find it quite exciting too!
Will I Still Need Retainers?
When your teeth move into new positions, they need time to settle down, and the bone around them must remodel. During this time, you do need to wear retainers to prevent teeth from moving back to their original positions. There is no need to worry as the retainers are made from the same clear plastic and are virtually invisible.
