Invisalign® – Waldorf, MD
Clear Orthodontics, Clear Results
Orthodontic treatment comes in various forms. For decades, the only way for children, teens, and adults to straighten crooked teeth was by wearing bulky metal braces. Fortunately, that has changed. Now, many dentists and orthodontists offer Invisalign® clear aligners to help patients enjoy a more subtle approach to orthodontics as well as quicker results. With Invisalign®, our team at Open Smiles Dental can remain by your side, monitoring the progression of your smile and ensuring everything remains comfortable and moving along smoothly until desired results are achieved. To learn more, call our office to schedule an appointment.
Why Choose Open Smiles Dental for Invisalign®?
- Treatment Enhanced By Propel®
- Dentist Who Is Certified to Provide Invisalign®
- We Welcome Your Dental Insurance
How Does Invisalign® Work?
Unlike traditional braces that have a bulky, metal bracket-and-wire system that often causes discomfort and shines a spotlight on treatment, Invisalign® uses clear, plastic aligner trays to fix misaligned teeth. An impression of your teeth is captured and sent to lab technicians to create the progression of how your teeth will move throughout treatment.
When worn 20-22 hours a day, your teeth will begin to shift accordingly, ensuring that your smile realigns correctly and produces healthy, beautiful results. And one of the best aspects of Invisalign® is that they are flexible, so you can easily remove them before eating, drinking, and cleaning them.
Indications for Invisalign®
There are many reasons you might opt for Invisalign®, but our team at Open Smiles Dental will be able to determine if your case is equipped to be treated with these clear aligners. Some of the most common indications for Invisalign® include:
Crowded Teeth
As teeth sit too close to one another, it can make it difficult, if not impossible, to clean between them, eliminating bad oral bacteria and plaque accumulations. But with Invisalign®, we can gently apply pressure to your teeth, creating the necessary space to ensure that you can clean your teeth correctly and enjoy a more pleasing aesthetic.
Gaps Between Teeth
Gaps between teeth are equally as harmful, as food particles can become trapped, creating a potential problem for cavities to form. With clear aligners, we can move teeth toward one another, bringing them closer together to eliminate the space and ensure improved oral health in the long run.
Bite Alignment
Bite misalignments come in all shapes and sizes, and they can take a devastating toll on your teeth and jaw if you’re not careful. Fortunately, with Invisalign®, we can fix overbites, underbites, crossbites, and open bites with these clear trays. When finished with treatment, you’ll no longer experience jaw pain or worn tooth enamel caused by an improper bite.
The Benefits of Invisalign®
If you’re considering Invisalign® to straighten your teeth, you’ll be pleased with the extensive list of benefits you can expect to receive, such as:
- Greater subtlety because of clear, plastic aligners that are not easily seen by others
- Optimal customization because of professional impressions taken by our team
- Greater flexibility because aligners must be removed before eating or drinking
- Easy-to-clean orthodontic solution
- A thinner profile makes them less likely to irritate your soft oral tissues
- No metal, so they’re a great option for anyone with metal allergies
- You can keep your oral health in better shape by not having to maneuver around brackets and wires
Living with Invisalign Aligners
Compared to other orthodontic treatments, living with Invisalign is relatively hassle-free. After all, you don’t even have to change your diet or your oral hygiene regimen! With that said, there are some responsibilities that come with clear aligners, including making sure that you wear them for 20-22 hours a day. That’s why we’ve dedicated this next section to covering some helpful information on the topic for patients considering this discreet teeth-straightening service.
Wearing Your Trays
We mentioned in the first section that you need to wear your aligners for 20-22 hours a day. This is crucial because if you don’t wear them, then your teeth won’t track properly. If your teeth don’t track properly, then you’ll fall off-track with your original treatment plan. We strongly encourage our patients to use the Invisalign app or the timer on their phone to make sure they are meeting this goal each day.
Cleaning Your Aligners
Fortunately, cleaning your teeth and your trays is easy with Invisalign! After brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash, use a soft-bristled toothbrush and some lukewarm water to gently clean each surface of your aligners. If needed, you can also use some mild dish soap. You can also give your trays an even deeper clean with the cleaning crystals that came in your Invisalign welcome kit.
Eating & Drinking
With traditional braces, patients are asked to remove whole apples, raw nuts, popcorn, and other crunchy foods from their diets to prevent a broken bracket or wire. Since the aligners are removable, you don’t have to alter your meals at all with Invisalign! Just be sure not to over-indulge on foods and drinks with added sugar since this can result in oral health problems, like a large cavity.
Losing or Damaging a Tray
If you lose or damage a tray, your first reaction may be panic. Don’t worry – accidents happen. We’re not here to judge; we’re here to help! In both cases, we recommend calling our Waldorf dental team ASAP to explain what happened. From there, we can determine if you’re safe to continue wearing them, if a replacement set needs to be made, or if you can move onto the next one.
Routine Check-Ins
Although the check-in visits are spaced out and usually only take about 15 minutes, they are incredibly important. At each one, our Waldorf dental team will take new scans of your teeth to monitor how they are tracking. If everything looks good, we will give you your next set of aligners and send you on your way. If something is wrong, then we can intervene early on – before there are delays.
Understanding the Cost of Invisalign®
The cost of Invisalign® is different for every patient. Once you sit down and have a scheduled consultation with Dr. Akinwande, she will create a thorough treatment plan that includes the details of your orthodontics as well as the cost. Based on various factors that can only be determined during an initial appointment can our team know how much you can expect to pay for your Invisalign®. Once that is determined, our team will then discuss ways to maximize your dental insurance benefits.
Invisalign FAQs
Does Invisalign Hurt?
Although it’s completely normal to experience some minor discomfort as your teeth shift into their properly aligned positions, Invisalign doesn’t hurt. In fact, even if your case of malocclusion is more severe, there are several ways you can prevent and alleviate soreness stemming from your braces, including sipping on cool water, sticking to soft foods, and taking OTC pain medication as directed on the label.
How Long Does Invisalign Take?
Typically, it takes 12-18 months to work through the series of clear aligners. Of course, your treatment timeline may be shorter or longer depending on important factors like the complexity of your case and how well you follow the guidelines. That’s why we encourage our patients to do their very best when it comes to wearing their trays for 22 hours a day, brushing and flossing their teeth consistently, and coming in every six weeks or so for their check-in visits – we want you to see results quickly too!
What Should I Do If I Lose an Aligner?
Having clear aligners is a significant perk… until you misplace them. If this happens to you, then pinpoint the last time you had them and retrace your steps from there. In the process, look in “odd” places, like the center console of your car or the pockets of your pants in the laundry. If you’ve looked and looked but had no luck, then call our Waldorf dental team so we can determine if a replacement tray needs to be made or if you can move onto the next set of aligners in the series.
Can You Eat with Invisalign?
You can’t eat anything with your aligners in, but you can eat whatever you’d like while they are out! With that said, we recommend doing your best to eat a well-balanced diet that isn’t high in starchy and sugary foods. After all, the last thing you want is for your treatment to be delayed because a cavity has developed.
How Do I Clean My Invisalign?
Let’s start with what you shouldn’t do. First, do not use hot water since it can warp the shape of your aligners, negatively affecting your treatment in the process. Second, avoid harsh cleaners, like bleach, since the toxins they contain are not safe to ingest. That’s why we recommend keeping it simple by using just two things: clean, lukewarm water and a soft-bristled toothbrush. You can also periodically use the cleaning crystals that came in your welcome kit to give your aligners a deeper clean.
What Happens After Invisalign?
At your final Invisalign appointment, we will take scans of your teeth as well as pictures of your new and improved smile. Then, we will start the process of having your retainer made. Once it arrives at our office, we will make sure it fits snugly and give you detailed instructions on how to take care of it over the years. It’s of the utmost importance that you wear yours consistently to lower your chances of orthodontic relapse (which is the phenomenon where your teeth begin to drift out of their properly aligned positions).