Invisalign® Invisible Braces

Invisalign® braces are a transparent alternative to the more common metal wire braces. You wear a new clear aligner every couple of weeks that place consistent pressure on your teeth. SmartForce technology provides just the right amount of force to help you get the straighter more beautiful results you want while being more comfortable than wire braces.

Instead of using highly visible brackets and wires, Invisalign® utilizes patented SmartTrack materials to provide a gentle and comfortable force. The SmartTrack system allows enhanced control of tooth movements and a more predictable outcome. The thin aligners form a perfect fit over your teeth. You simply wear the aligners for at least 22 hours each day. Simply remove them whenever you eat, brush and floss your teeth.

Invisalign® aligners are specially designed to use controlled movement to get your teeth into the correct positions faster than with traditional braces. With eight years in the making, Invisalign® technology allows your orthodontist to predetermine each tooth position with ClinCheck software throughout your treatment process. This means you’ll know what your smile will look like with a fast and precise iTero Element digital image at your consultation.

During your treatment, you will use a new set of custom-made aligners every two weeks as your teeth continue to shift. Treatment continues until you achieve your brand-new smile. The exact number of aligners required depends on your treatment plan. You may need just a few for more cosmetically oriented problems or multiple aligners to correct more complex issues, such as bite correction.

Do you find it tricky to floss in between your teeth? Perhaps some of your teeth are overlapping or overcrowded making flossing is nearly impossible? Maybe you have gaps in between your teeth that often trap food? All these things can be irritating, but they are also detrimental to your dental health. Missing tooth surfaces when brushing and flossing increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease.

Now picture being able to brush and floss with ease. Imagine that clean fresh feeling after thoroughly cleaning all your teeth without having to deal with bits of floss stuck in between your teeth. Imagine being able to eat foods like chips or cookies without finding bits packed into the gaps in between your teeth several hours later. Invisalign® can help you achieve this.

Treating your dental issues prolongs the life of your natural teeth and helps you save money avoiding future restorative treatments. Straighter teeth are easier to clean, creating a healthier environment in your mouth. In addition to healthier teeth, your new smile will give you the confidence to take on the world.

Traditional braces have a negative reputation for being difficult to maintain. They can produce outstanding results, but they do necessitate a little extra attention. Metal or clear brackets are attached to tooth surfaces and linked to thin wires in traditional braces. People with fixed braces need to clean around and bracket entirely and remove all food residue and plaque from their teeth. Failure to do so can result in dental issues such as gum disease and tooth decay. Fixed brackets can leave stains on the teeth when they are removed.

Invisalign® is comfortable and fits snugly over your teeth. There are no fixed parts making maintaining your dental health much easier. Instead of having to spend ages cleaning around brackets with special tools, all you have to do is to remove your aligners. You can then just brush and floss as normal, making sure that you clean your aligners before replacing them. Once your treatment is complete, your teeth and gums will be healthy and free from disease, and your new smile will look better than ever.

While traditional braces still have their place in orthodontics, being more effective for complex problems, many choose Invisalign® for its advantages, such as:

• 50% shorter treatment time with SmartTrack materials
• Neatly 20 years of satisfied clients
• Improved self-esteem and appearance due to a virtually invisible aligners
• Easily removed for eating, brushing, flossing, cleaning, full-contact sports and playing a musical instrument
• Fewer dental visits
• No diet restrictions
• No painful injuries due to broken wires or brackets

Designed in 2008, Invisalign® Teen is very similar to adult Invisalign® aligners. It uses the same clear SmartTrack aligners that fit comfortably over teeth. Teen aligners are custom-designed to move teeth into the correct positions with advanced prediction technology.

Just like standard Invisalign® treatment, the aligners are easily removable for regular brushing and flossing. Each set is worn for approximately two weeks. Once the two weeks are up, the set of aligners is discarded in exchange for the new set in the series. Treatment continues until your teeth are straight. Below are some of the benefits of choosing Invisalign® Teen.

There are several unexpected benefits to using Invisalign for straightening your teeth, including:

• Easier brushing and flossing

Thoroughly flossing and brushing can be an impossible task when your teeth are overlapping or tightly packed in, which puts you at risk of developing tooth decay and gum disease. People who use Invisalign to straighten their teeth will notice a substantial improvement when their teeth straighten, making it simpler and faster to clean their teeth properly, minimizing the risk of oral disease.

• Less invasive treatment

Treatment with traditional fixed braces can seem quite invasive due to brackets cemented onto your teeth and wires attached to them. Elastics, used to apply pressure to the teeth, are also an important part of treatment for many people with braces. The result can seem cumbersome and uncomfortable, and you need frequent checkups so the orthodontist can tighten the wires and make the necessary adjustments to continue tooth movements.

None of this is necessary with Invisalign. Teeth are moved using low, more comfortable forces simply by wearing clear, removable aligners. The treatment feels far less invasive, and any checkups with your dentist are quick and easy to complete.

• Lower maintenance

Invisalign is virtually maintenance-free. There are no parts to clean around, and you can take out the aligner trays whenever you want to brush and floss your teeth.

• Eat whatever you want

Fixed braces require significant adjustments to your daily diet. Contrarily, Invisalign aligners are removable, ensuring you don’t have to modify your diet or avoid any foods.

• You can become involved with treatment planning

One of the nicest things about Invisalign treatment is that you can become involved with the planning process. Your treatment plan will involve digital images showing the current state of your teeth and how they will look once treatment is complete. If you don’t quite like any aspect of the predicted outcome, you can discuss this with your Invisalign dentist and make the necessary adjustments until you are happy with the results.

The price of Invisalign varies based on how severe your case is and how much movement is necessary to achieve your treatment goals, with an average cost falling between $3500 and $8000. Patients who have minor orthodontic problems will pay less. But patients who have significant orthodontic problems will spend more because they need more aligners and require more visits to our office.

With Invisalign®, you wear your aligners 20 to 22 hours a day and change them every week or two. The total treatment time with Invisalign® is 6 to 18 months. This is much shorter than the treatment time with traditional braces lasting 2 years.

There are several cases when Invisalign® isn’t appropriate. Invisalign® may not be right for you if you have conditions such as:

• 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

In spite of all the advantages of Invisalign®, it’s not always the right choice. In some cases, fixed braces may offer a better treatment option for your specific tooth issues. If your teeth require correction that is relatively complicated, such as precise tooth movements fixed braces may be a better option for you.

If you decided it is finally time to achieve the smile of your dreams in the most discreet and effective way possible, it’s worth exploring whether Invisalign® could help you. A consultation with one of our Invisalign dentists here at 505 Dental Associates in the Bronx will allow you to discover much more about Invisalign® and most importantly how it could help you.

Invisalign® can be amazingly effective for adults who don’t want to put up with a mouth full of metal. More and more teenagers are also choosing Invisalign® as their discreet braces option. Adolescents can often be self-conscious about their appearance and Invisalign® offers a nice way to realign teeth without all the hassle normally associated with braces.

One of Invisalign®’s biggest advantages is that the aligners are removable. If you have friends or family who have worn conventional fixed braces you have seen how they have had to change their diet during treatment. With fixed braces, it’s necessary to avoid anything that could damage the brackets and wires. This includes very sticky, hard, or crunchy foods. Although orthodontic treatment doesn’t last forever, it can be a hassle having to change your diet like this. You always need to remain vigilant about which foods you can eat and foods to avoid.

Because Invisalign® braces are removable, there is no need to change your diet in any way. You can eat whatever you want, whenever you like. All you need do is to just remove your aligners before eating and make sure to brush your teeth thoroughly before replacing your aligners.

Just like any new dental appliance, you may notice your speech changes slightly as your tongue becomes accustomed to your aligners. Initially, you may find you have a slight lisp or that your mouth produces more saliva. These side-effects are perfectly normal and will typically disappear after just a few days. Within a very short amount of time, you should have no difficulty in speaking normally.

Invisalign® aligners are made to fit your life without interrupting it. Simply rinse and brush your aligners every night to keep them fresh and clean. There are several ways you can clean your aligner trays. You can use clear mouthwash, a proprietary denture cleaner, or a solution of vinegar and water. Just use one-part vinegar to one part water. Another option is to clean your aligner trays using one-part hydrogen peroxide to one part water. You can also use the Invisalign® cleaning system to help you take care of your aligners.

Usually, it’s only necessary to see a dentist during Invisalign® treatment approximately every six weeks or so. The great thing about these visits is that they are very quick because unlike fixed braces, there aren’t any brackets or wires to adjust. Instead, your dentist will just want to check that your teeth are moving as predicted. If needed, they can provide you with more sets of aligners.

Yes! When your teeth move, it’s not just the crown of the tooth- the tooth root moves too. Afterward, it takes a little while for your jawbone to remodel itself around the newly positioned tooth root. Without retainers, there’s a risk that teeth could simply drift back towards their original locations. Retainers ensure this will not happen so it is essential you wear them as directed by your Invisalign® dentist.

The great thing about Invisalign® is that the retainers are every bit as easy to wear as the aligners because they are made from the same thin plastic material, so they are virtually invisible.