Invisalign Benefits

People have been straightening their teeth with orthodontics for thousands of years for more reasons than just aesthetics. According to the American Dental Association, straightening crooked teeth can benefit your overall dental health. While traditional braces are still fairly common, new technology has allowed orthodontics to invent better ways to fix crooked teeth. Now you straighten your teeth without a mouth full of metal. 

 

Why is it important to have straight teeth?

For many people looking to fix their crooked teeth, image is their main concern. Crooked teeth, overbites, underbites, and other dental issues can affect our self-esteem and make us feel bad about our appearance. However, your teeth should be straightened for more reasons than just aesthetics. Crooked teeth can cause major dental issues if left unstraightened.

Straight teeth reduce the risk of periodontal disease since straight teeth are easier to clean. Getting rid of harmful bacteria is easier. Straight teeth allow you to chew properly and eliminate uneven grinding on your teeth. Straight teeth also align the jaw, which reduces aches and discomfort.

Having straight teeth can even help to open airways to aid those with sleep apnea.

Invisible Aligners

Invisalign is a newer way to straighten teeth. With new scanning technology, we can non-invasively scan your teeth and create a set of aligners that will slowly adjust your teeth to the optimal position.

Created with a medical-grade polyurethane resin, the aligners are practically invisible. Every aligner is a custom fit, made exactly for your teeth to slowly shift them into place.

Invisible aligners must be worn for 22 hours a day to have the maximum effect. While they are removable, they can’t straighten any teeth if they aren’t in contact with them. They should be taken out during meals and at any other time you are eating or drinking anything other than cold water.

If worn properly, most treatments last between 12 and 18 months. Thankfully, you will start to see improvements in your teeth within the first three months.

What Are the Benefits of Invisalign?

1. Comfort
Removable aligners are more comfortable than traditional braces. 

Because of their custom fit, invisible aligners have precise control over straightening your teeth. During your treatment, you will receive a set of aligners that slowly adjust your teeth horizontally, vertically, and rotationally until each tooth is set in its proper place. Each of these movements is precisely timed to be the most comfortable sequence possible.

2. Better Dental Hygiene
A clean mouth is a healthy mouth, and by the end of your treatment, you want the healthiest teeth possible. With traditional braces, bits of food and plaque get stuck around and inside brackets which become difficult to clean properly. If not cleaned properly, this can lead to gum disease and even tooth decay.

With Invisalign, you can remove the aligners and continue your normal dental routine. Flossing and brushing can all be done normally without the need for special equipment. You can also brush and clean the inside of your aligner to make sure no food or bacteria builds up inside of it. 

3. Correct Dental Problems
Crooked teeth can cause more problems than just making you self-conscious of your smile. If your teeth are crooked, you are more likely to have a host of other dental problems. Widely spaced or crowded teeth can raise your risk of developing gum disease since your gums do not fit properly around your teeth. Aligning your teeth with removable aligners can also reduce gum inflammation, tooth sensitivity, bad breath, and even chipping of teeth.

You can also fix a dental overbite or underbite with invisible aligners. When you have an abnormal bite, it can cause all sorts of problems, from irregular tooth erosion to gum infections. An improper bite can cause chewing issues, jaw aches, and even speech difficulties. Correcting your bite will lower your risk of cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss.

4. Prevent Other Dental Issues
Using invisible aligners can also prevent other dental problems. When left unchecked, gum disease can cause tooth decay and loss. Crooked teeth and abnormal bites can create sleeping problems such as sleep apnea. Making sure your teeth are straightened with a removable aligner that allows for great dental hygiene will allow you to prevent worse dental issues.

5. Boost Self-Confidence
The most popular reason that anyone straightens their teeth is for aesthetic value. Your teeth are one of the first things you look at when you get up, and your smile is the first thing other people notice. If you don’t feel confident about your teeth and smile, you won’t feel confident in yourself. There is significant evidence to note that straightening your teeth can boost self-esteem.

Another benefit of invisible aligners are they are made from clear resin to perfectly fit your teeth. This means they are practically invisible so many people won’t even know you are straightening your teeth, unlike traditional braces. 

6. Fewer Dental Visits
With traditional braces, you have to frequently visit an orthodontist to make sure your braces are adjusted correctly. These visits may include removing and replacing a bracket, changing wire size, tightening specific brackets, and even wiring specific brackets together with extra wire. 

With invisible aligners, you won’t need to visit the dentist as frequently, and the visits will be much shorter and far less intrusive. Visits range between 4 to 8 weeks, but between then, you will already have a set of aligners to switch every two weeks. Because the aligners are already planned and created, you won’t need any extra dental work to make them correct your teeth.

7. Eat Any Food and Drink
With traditional braces, you are limited in the foods you can eat or drink, but with Invisalign, all food and drinks are permissible. Because the metal brackets can snap off or the wires bend, you shouldn’t eat sticky foods, hard foods, crunchy foods, even foods you have to bite into. This rules out caramel, gum, nuts, popcorn, ice, corn-on-the-cob, and apples. Luckily, with removable aligners, you don’t have to worry about what you eat.
The only food or drink you should consume with your aligners in is cold water. Otherwise, food particles can get stuck inside the aligners, causing bacteria and plaque build-up. Once they are removed, they should be placed safely in their travel container to avoid contamination or losing them. After you are finished eating, you should consider brushing your teeth or rinsing with water before putting your aligners back in so you can avoid any food particles getting stuck between your teeth and the aligner.



Find Out If They Are Right for You!

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Invisalign consultations are complimentary!