Curious to learn a bit more about Invisalign?
Here is a brief introductory guide as to what invisible aligners are and how they may benefit you. Enjoy!
What are Invisalign aligners?
Physically similar to a mouthguard, Invisalign aligners are removable, custom-fitted aligners that can be placed over your teeth to gently realign them.
The aligners are made from clear plastic, so they are visually discrete and easy to clean. They are now offered by multiple dental clinics, including Clear Braces Direct London, and are lower maintenance than braces, meaning that they can easily slot into the lives of adult and teenage patients alike.
Advantages
As you may have gathered, one of the key advantages of Invisalign is that the aligner itself is visually discrete; your colleagues or family members won’t realise that you are wearing it!
Also, the treatment time with these aligners tends to be shorter, so you can get the smile you want within an accelerated time frame. These aligners are also removable, meaning that they will not impact your eating habits, allowing you to freely consume whichever foods you desire. Great!
Treatment time
If you use invisible aligners, the treatment time is typically between 3-6 months on average.
However, this may vary depending on the complexity of your misalignment; if you have a mild to moderate misalignment of the front teeth, then it is likely that they can be straightened within this time frame. But Invisalign can also be used for more complex cases, and your dentist may advise the use of this aligner for cases that require a bit more time to correct.
For more information on how long it may take for your teeth to be straightened, please talk to your dental team.
Dental appointments
When you wear these aligners, you will still need to attend dental appointments; luckily, these don’t need to be as frequent as they would be if you were wearing fitted braces!
Checkups will usually occur every 6-8 weeks, but as Invisalign offers an app to its users, you can have appointments spaced even further apart if your dentist decides that you don’t need to attend.
The app itself allows you to send selfies to your dentist every week, which can help them to decide if and when you may need an appointment to assess the progress of your treatment.
Aftercare
Once you have finished wearing Invisalign aligners, your dental team will usually advise you to wear a custom-fitted retainer.
This may feel pointless after your teeth have been aligned, but be aware that there is logic to it! When it comes to teeth, even after they have been moved using a brace or aligner, they can tend to slip back into their former positions; a process known as reversion. And it can be nothing short of irritating if you have worn aligners for more than 6 months only to then have your teeth revert!
So please always follow your dentist’s advice and wear your retainer.
For more information on Invisalign and general orthodontic work, talk to your dental team.
