Invisalign

Having straight white teeth is a goal of many people who simply want to look their best and feel good about themselves. To achieve this goal, orthodontics is sometimes required. But some people associate it so much with the awkward appearance and social stigma of adolescence that they refuse to go through with it. Invisalign offers the chance to straighten your teeth with a virtually "invisible" alternative to braces.

At the Colonial Dental Group we offer Invisalign as a way to reposition your teeth, whether for cosmetic reasons or health reasons. It involves no use of metal or wires. If you have minor to moderate crowding and minimal tooth rotation, Invisalign will align your teeth in about the same time as conventional braces would.

How Invisalign Works

First your treatment would be planned. Your cosmetic dentist would photograph your mouth and you would be able to see on the computer monitor how your teeth look now, and how they will look after repositioning. Your dentist would determine how many steps will be needed to get from now to then. Each step equates to a pair of aligning trays for you to wear.

• Your dentist will send these images with other information to the Invisalign company.
• They would make your trays, each one customized to exert gentle pressure on the right teeth from the right angle so as to move them according to your overall treatment plan.
• Your dentist will give you several pairs of aligners and have you make an appointment in about six weeks for a progress check.
• You wear the first pair of aligners for two weeks. Then every two weeks you move on to wearing the next pair in the series. Wear them for at least 22 hours per day. Remove them for eating and brushing.
• You will have between about 18 and 30 pairs of trays in order to reach your alignment goal. Every six weeks your dentist will check your progress.

Advantages of Invisalign

Nobody needs to know that you are having anything done. The retainers can be removed at any time, so if you have a special occasion where you particularly want to look your best, you can take them out. But mostly you need to wear them 22 hours each day to get good results.

Invisalign imposes no restrictions on food or drink, unlike traditional braces.

You can practice good oral hygiene, just as you would in any case, since you take them out for brushing and flossing. Cleaning the retainer itself is simply a matter of brushing it under cold water.

Other advantages include:

• Greater comfort
• Virtual invisibility
• No demineralization of teeth

Very few problems

The only significant potential problem is discipline. If you fail to wear the retainers for the recommended period of 22 hours a day, you will experience delays reaching your next alignment goal.

Other possible problems might be:

• Breakage or loss of a retainer — but they are easily recreated based on the computer model
• Minor discomfort when transitioning to the next retainers — which is temporary
• Slight lisp at beginning of treatment

Colonial Dental Group serves the whole Chicago area. If you have been procrastinating about getting your teeth straightened, or if you have doubts or questions about Invisalign, please contact our invisalign dentists today. We will be happy to answer your questions and show you around our comfortable facilities.