It has been discovered that finding comfortable adult braces that aren’t embarrassing is a difficult task for many residents in Beverly Hills. There are many other alternatives, but most of them aren’t favorable. After all, how many adults have you seen wearing their tinsel teeth comfortably in meetings? Most adults don’t want to deal with such embarrassment and many fail to get orthodontic treatment while it can be beneficial to them. In case you are uncomfortable with the idea of having to wear conventional braces, you can benefit greatly by wearing invisalign. They have several benefits and they can improve the look of your smile and also how your smile feels.
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Benefits of Using Invisalign
Improved appearance: Most people hesitate to seek orthodontic treatment because they are concerned about their appearance with brackets and metal wires and braces. However, invisalign is invisible and it can help straighten your teeth without interfering with your appearance.
- Comfort: The flexible and soft material of the invisalign aligners doesn’t irritate the soft tissues of the mouth compared to metal braces and wires.
- Easier oral hygiene: you will have an easy time cleaning time if you opt to use orthodontic appliances that are removable.
- Protection from teeth-grinding: In case you have a habit of clenching or grinding your teeth, invisalign aligners can act as guards that can protect your teeth from wear.
Additionally, invisalign removability also has some advantages. You can remove the aligners during special occasions and when taking pictures among other occasions. However, be careful because these aligners should be worn at least 22 hours every day. Therefore, you should resist the temptation of taking them off more often than advised by your Los Angeles orthodontist
Invisalign treatment allows for customized aligners, and each aligner is manufactured using clear material which conceals it and makes it unnoticeable. The invisalign treatment requires that you wear the aligners for a span of at least two weeks. The aligners straighten and move your teeth gently, and after two weeks your teeth should have moved to their intended location and you will be ready for the next aligners.
How to Begin Invisalign Treatment
Treatment begins with consulting the best dentist near you. Your dentist will look at the current state of your oral health and your dental history. Your dentist may also take some images of your mouth to get a feel of your smile. With this information, they can determine whether invisalign is the correct treatment for you.
Invisalign Simulator
Most professional dentists in Beverly Hills use an outcome invisalign simulator which is a powerful tool that can enable you to see clearly how your smile will look after completing the treatment. Using an invisalign outcome simulator, you can be able to make an informed decision before you agree to start the actual treatment. Your physician will start by scanning your teeth which may take approximately 20 minutes, and five minutes to program the scan. After the process is complete, you can have a look at the possibilities of starting invisalign treatment.
The best dentists in Los Angeles also utilize advanced software to tailor aligners that are modeled specifically for your bite and teeth. The software used can calculate the required steps to move your teeth to where they are to the desirable position.
What You Should Know About Invisalign Orthodontic Treatment
After your first orthodontic assessment, your orthodontic will proceed to discuss the available treatment options. You should keep in mind that invisalign is not suitable for everyone. Invisalign is recommended for older teens and adults. Therefore, in case your teeth aren’t fully grown or you still have your baby teeth then most likely invisalign isn’t the best treatment option for you.
When you determine that invisalign is the best option for you, your dentist will require some records. These records include images of your face and teeth, and impressions of your teeth. Your Beverly Hills dentist will also take an X-ray to check your bone and teeth health.
3D Molding of Your Teeth
Your dentist will send the records to invisalign with comprehensive information that will ensure that you will get the desired treatment outcome. Invisalign captures 3D photographs of the impressions and merges the 3D pictures with the X-rays to create a 3D image of your teeth. The invisalign technician will determine the necessary steps to move your teeth from their current position to the desired location to achieve a desirable outcome.
Your orthodontic physician will then be presented with the molding to review it and point out any areas that should be revised. The review process is then repeated again until your physician is satisfied. After your orthodontic physician is satisfied, he or she will instruct the technician to manufacture a series of aligners that are required to complete the treatment. The process of manufacturing can take approximately a span of one month, after which a full set of the aligners will be sent to your orthodontics.
Using Invisalign to Treat Crowded Front Teeth
Most of the patients who consider starting invisalign treatment have crowded front teeth. Crowding of the front teeth is a situation whereby the front teeth have grown without enough space between them for them to grow straight. The first treatment is to create more space and it can be achieved in one of two ways.
The first option is to use the invisalign trays to expand the curvatures. This option has some benefits such as;
- Giving you a broader smile which is believed to be better by most people
- Creating ample space which can enable the front teeth to move more easily
- The aligners on the front teeth also offer support to the lips
The other option is to try and make the teeth located at the back thinner or by reshaping the front teeth to create more space for the teeth located at the front to move. This procedure is referred by professionals as interproximal reduction which is a way of saying that the teeth have been filed down. The process isn’t painful because the filing doesn’t enter the enamel so you won’t experience any teeth sensitivity.
Attachments
These are lumps made of plastic material and are also called composites. These composites will be attached to some of your teeth. The attachments will also have a similar color to your teeth which makes them hard to notice after they are fitted, and they are used to provide a firm grip to enable the aligners fit in place after they are placed. The attachments also exert the correct amount of pressure on the teeth thus encouraging them to move to the right position. Keep in mind that not all forms of inivisalign treatments use attachments, but most of them do.
Using Rubber Bands in Fitting Invisalign
In some invisalign treatments, you may be required to wear rubber bands together with your aligners. This is similar to how rubber bands are used with conventional braces. The rubber bands are fitted on the aligner to rotate teeth. In some other cases, the rubber bands can be used both on the lower and upper aligners to help correct your bite.
How Long are Invisalign Aligners Worn?
Beverly Hills orthodontics encourage their patients to wear their invisalign aligners as much time as possible and at a minimum of22 hours every day. However, the reality is that the more you have them on, the faster you will get your desired outcome.
These aligners are versatile and one of their benefits is that you can remove them during meals. Most Los Angeles physicians recommend that you don’t eat or drink anything else other than water with your aligners on. If you don’t wear your aligners more often, you will slow down the process of moving your teeth and you won’t be ready for the next set of aligners.
Failing to wear your aligners as recommended can also result in an undesired movement and most likely the next set of invisalign aligners will not fit as they were designed to. If you still fail to wear your aligners on a full time basis, by the time you are wearing the third or fourth set you will note that they may not fit at all. Leaving your aligners in for as long as possible will help to move your teeth faster and expedite the entire treatment process.
How to Clean Your Aligners
Similar to other forms of dental restoration procedures, it is necessary to maintain oral hygiene especially when you are wearing invisalign aligners. Because acids and food particles can eventually build up around the appliances, wearing invisalign can put your teeth at a higher risk of teeth cavities and decay. Therefore, ensure that you floss and brush regularly. According to Beverly Hills orthodontics, you should floss your teeth every day and brush your teeth at least four times daily before going to bed, after waking up, and after meals. When brushing your teeth, remember to also use your toothbrush to brush your aligners also to avoid buildup of plaque and acid.
Watch What You Eat and Drink
Although invisalign won’t affect your diet, you will still need to watch the type of foods you take. Ensure you avoid drinks and foods that can discolor your enamel such as wine, coffee, and soda as well as other sugary foods. This is because even after you brush and floss your teeth, chemicals and sugars from such foods can be left trapped under your aligner and this creates a good environment for bacteria that cause decay.
What Will Happen After Wearing the Last Aligner?
The best dentists in Los Angeles estimate that 70% of all invisalign treatments don’t align all the teeth to the desired position. Therefore, don’t be concerned when this happens to you because it is fairly normal. In such a situation, your physician will take a new set of the impressions and send them to the technician to mold and manufacture new refinement trays to fix the remaining area. The new alignment trays will take approximately another 3 to 4 weeks to get ready, and when they are ready you can continue with the treatment.
During your free dental consultation with your Beverly Hills dentist, remember to ask them if in such a situation there will be any additional charges or whether the procedure will be built in the overall invisalign treatment plan.
Keeping Your New Smile After Completing Treatment
Wear Orthodontics Retainers
After the 12 to 18 month treatment depending on the severity of the misaligned teeth, you will have completed your treatment. The last step is to wear retainers. Orthodontics retainers are used at the end of any cosmetic dental procedure to restrain the moved and straightened teeth from relapsing to their initial positions. After the invisalign treatment and your teeth have moved to the desired position, your physician will fit you with retainers. You will have two retainer options including:
- Clear retainers: Most patients who have undergone invisalign treatment choose to wear plastic retainers that have a similar look to invisalign aligner trays.
- Permanent retainers: Other patients prefer fixed retainers that are attached by a professional to the inside of the lower part of the front teeth. This type of retainer has wires that stretch across the inner part of the lower six front teeth.
In other cases depending on your physician, you can retain your last aligner and use it as a retainer. This will help to retain your teeth to the optimal position, and you can continue enjoying life with your new smile.
After the invisalign treatment, it is recommended that you wear retainers for the first 2 months. After the first 2 months have elapsed, you can then reduce the time you wear them to bedtime when going to sleep at night. Eventually, you will reach a point when you will only need to wear the retainers once or twice a week.
Get a Straighter Smile Today
Invisalign has been found to be a better alternative to conventional braces. They will straighten your teeth while still maintaining your normal diet, appearance, and habits. Invisalign is a popular orthodontic treatment offered by Bruce Vafa, DDS. Invisalign has the ability to correct various orthodontic and malocclusions issues although there are some situations in which traditional braces can be a better option. You can contact our office today and schedule a free dental consultation to discuss invisalign treatment with your orthodontist.