Invisalign in Apex

• What is Invisalign?
• How Much Does Invisalign Cost?
• How Does Invisalign Work?
• Am I A Good Candidate for Invisalign?
• How Do I Clean My Invisalign Aligners?
• How Often Do I Need to Wear My Aligners?
• Are There Any Dietary Restrictions With Invisalign?
• Is Invisalign Really Invisible?

Invisalign is a series of clear aligners that work to gradually straighten your teeth. If Invisalign is the right option for you, Dr. Barker will take a 3D scan of your teeth in order to create your custom clear aligners. Once the aligners are made, you’ll try them on to make sure they fit perfectly, and you’ll wear them over the course of your treatment (typically about one year). At the end of your treatment, you’ll have a straight, beautiful smile.

Invisalign can be used to correct a number of different issues with bite and alignment ranging from overcrowding to underbites and overbites. The cost of Invisalign depends on the extremity of your particular case and how many aligners you will need. At Cardinal Family Dentistry, we have resources to help all of our patients keep the cost of treatment within your budget. Give us a call to speak with our friendly team and discuss our accepted insurances and our flexible financing options.

Once you get your first set of aligners from Dr. Barker, you’ll wear them for about 2 weeks, for 20-22+ hours per day. Then, you’ll switch to a new set of aligners. During a quick exam at our office every 6 weeks, we’ll check the progress of your treatment and give you your next few sets of aligners.
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In total, patients usually wear between 20-24 sets of aligners. If you wear your aligners properly and are diligent about your treatment, you should have a straight, even smile in just under a year. However, treatment time can vary based on your specific needs for orthodontic correction. For an accurate estimate of your treatment time, schedule a consultation with Dr. Barker at Cardinal Family Dentistry today.

Most people who have minor-to-moderate orthodontic issues, like crooked, gapped, or crowded teeth are good candidates for Invisalign. However, Invisalign is typically not a good option for those who have more serious orthodontic issues, such as very crooked teeth or a malpositioned bite or jaw. Traditional orthodontic treatments like metal braces are more versatile and can treat severe issues more effectively.
In addition, your mouth must be healthy before you have Invisalign. If you suffer from tooth decay or a condition like gingivitis, you will need to get the appropriate treatments to restore your mouth before you can begin Invisalign.

To keep your aligners clean and clear, rinse and brush them gently every night. Put your aligners back on immediately after brushing your teeth and wear them to sleep. Take your aligners out when you eat and drink, and put them back on right after brushing. Following these instructions throughout your treatment will ensure the best results and your most confident smile.

To ensure that you get the most out of your Invisalign treatment, it’s important that you wear your aligners about 22 hours per day. This means that you should only take your aligners out to eat and brush your teeth. Keeping your aligners in is one of the most important parts of your treatment, and if you wear them correctly, you can expect amazing results!

No! This is one of the biggest advantages of Invisalign. While wearing traditional braces, you cannot eat some kinds of foods like popcorn or sticky candy, which could damage them. However, Invisalign aligners are removable, which means that you can take them out whenever you eat and put them back in when you’re finished with your meal or snack. There are absolutely no dietary restrictions during your treatment.

When it comes to beverages, though, you should only drink water when wearing your aligners and remove them to drink all other beverages. If you drink beverages other than water while wearing your aligners, they may become stained. 
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Take steps to keep your aligners safe when you remove them to eat and/or drink. Keep them in your carrying case whenever they are not in your mouth, and make sure to brush or use mouthwash after eating, and rinse your aligners before you put them back in.

Yes! Invisalign aligners are made of a very thin, clear plastic material, and they are designed to fit perfectly over your teeth. When they are worn, the aligners are completely invisible. Once you’re used to wearing them, they won’t even affect your speech! This means that nobody will be able to tell that you’re in the middle of orthodontic treatment. 
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However, it can take a day or two for you to get used to speaking with your aligners. Until you've adjusted, you may find that you sound a bit “slushy” when speaking. This is normal and subside as you get used to speaking with Invisalign.

You might have trouble getting your aligners to track when you switch to a new set. You receive a new set of aligners every 2 weeks and these will feel tighter than the previous one at the start of the 2 weeks. 

There’s a product called Invisalign chewies that you can use to help seat your aligners on your teeth all the way. It’s like a cotton roll that you chew on to push your aligners down all the way. However, if you don’t wear your aligners for at least 22 hours a day, you will experience continual difficulty in tracking your aligners. 

You may find that when you switch to the next set of aligners, you can’t get them to fit over your teeth no matter how hard you try. This is a sign that your teeth haven’t fully shifted to continue onto the next set of aligners. This can set you back in your treatment time and require backtracking to the previous set of aligners. 

Backtracking is when we tell you to continue wearing your last set of aligners because you haven’t been complying with wearing them for 22 hours per day. Once your teeth have fully shifted enough for the next aligner, which may take an extra 1 or 2 weeks, you can continue with your treatment and wear the next set of aligners.

Invisalign attachments come in various shapes and sizes and they’re like little buttons of composite resin that are bonded to your teeth to help anchor your aligners and achieve more complex tooth movements.

When certain teeth need extra help being moved in a certain direction, you may need attachments. We can also pair your attachments with elastics to help shift a misaligned jaw. Attachments enable Invisalign to fix things that were previously not treatable with clear aligners, such as more severe malocclusions like an open, cross, under, or overbite.

While Invisalign is a much more aesthetically pleasing orthodontic treatment, it is best suited for minor to moderate orthodontic issues. If you have severe malocclusions, Invisalign may not be the best option for you or may take longer to treat compared to traditional braces.

Invisalign cannot correct teeth that are rotated past 20 degrees, unlike braces. This is usually seen in cases of overcrowding. It is only suitable for teeth that are slightly rotated. While Invisalign can close small gaps between the teeth, it won’t be able to correct large gaps. 

Finally, Invisalign is not able to move teeth higher or lower in the gums, which is known as intrusion and extrusion. These movements require much more force and will need to be treated with braces. Complex movements needed to correct a severe bite problem are also less likely from Invisalign than from braces.

If you’re not sure if you would be a suitable candidate for Invisalign, contact us at Cardinal Family Dentistry today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Sarah Barker.