A Complete Guide to Your Invisalign Treatment
About 57% of people cover their mouths when they laugh because they feel insecure about their teeth! As a result, over 60% of Americans want to change the appearance of their teeth. Crookedness, gaps, and receding gums are among their top concerns.
With Invisalign treatment, you can improve the appearance of your smile and boost your self-confidence. What does this form of orthodontic treatment involve, exactly? Read on to find out!
After reading this guide, you can determine if Invisalign aligners suit your needs and treatment goals. Read on to learn more.
The Consultation Appointment
First, talk to friends and family members who live in the area. Ask if they can recommend a local orthodontist. Otherwise, head online to look for Invisalign providers in Phoenix, Chandler, and Queen Creek, AZ.
Once you’ve found a local provider, schedule your initial consultation appointment. Your consultation appointment will ensure you’re an ideal candidate for Invisalign treatment. If you’re not, your orthodontist can help by recommending another form of orthodontic treatment based on your needs.
Most people are ideal candidates for Invisalign if they’re concerned about:
- Open bites
- Overcrowding
- Underbites
- Crossbites
- Gapped teeth
- Overbites
However, Invisalign isn’t ideal if you have a more extensive orthodontic issue. Your orthodontist might recommend traditional metal braces instead.
Your orthodontist might also recommend traditional braces for younger patients.
Patients are able to take out their Invisalign aligners to eat, brush their teeth, and clean their aligners. Unfortunately, younger patients sometimes neglect to put their aligners back in place promptly. Neglecting to wear the aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day can cause delays in the treatment plan.
If your orthodontist determines you’re an ideal candidate for treatment, you can move on to the next step in the process. Otherwise, work with your orthodontist to develop a different treatment plan.
Creating Your Aligners
During your consultation appointment, your orthodontist will gather your full dental history. They’ll need to assess your current dental health as well. They might need to take dental X-rays to assess the orthodontic issues you’re experiencing, too.
Once they determine you’re an ideal candidate for treatment, they’ll take photos of your smile and face. You’ll be able to see how much your smile has improved by comparing your before and after photos side by side.
Your orthodontist will also need to take scans of your teeth in order to create your Invisalign aligners.
The aligners are made of strong, clear plastic. They’re designed to fit perfectly around your teeth. Over the course of your treatment plan, you might receive a new pair of aligners every week.
Each pair of aligners will bring your teeth closer together, closing any gaps in your smile.
How many pairs of aligners you’ll need can vary based on the orthodontic issues you’re experiencing. Ask your orthodontist about the duration of your treatment plan.
Your orthodontist will use scanning equipment to create an accurate impression of your teeth. Some practices use molds instead. Once your orthodontist has the scans, they’ll use the equipment to show you how your smile will look once you complete your treatment.
Reviewing the images can help you determine if Invisalign treatment aligns with your goals.
Don’t worry; the process of taking these scans is painless. The scans will ensure the aligners will fit perfectly.
Next, your orthodontist will send the scans to the Invisalign website, allowing a lab technician to create your aligners.
You’ll need to wait for the orthodontist’s office to receive your aligners before you can begin your treatment.
The Treatment Process
Once you receive your Invisalign aligners, you can schedule an appointment with your orthodontist to put them in place. Your orthodontist might need to place small, tooth-colored buttons on your teeth to ensure the aligners fit properly.
These buttons are created using resin. They’ll remain on the surface of your teeth throughout the duration of your treatment. Once your treatment is complete, your orthodontist will remove them.
During this appointment, your orthodontist will walk you through your treatment plan.
First, they’ll show you how to put in and take out your aligners safely. They’ll also show you how to properly clean your aligners. Neglecting to clean your aligners can cause discoloration.
One of the benefits of Invisalign is the discretion it can offer. Since the aligners are clear, most people won’t recognize you’re wearing them. If the aligners become discolored, however, it could become more obvious the aligners are in place.
Make sure to wear your aligners for over 20 hours each day. Remember, you don’t want to cause a delay in your treatment plan.
You can take your aligners out every morning before eating breakfast and brushing your teeth. Then, you can wear your aligners until your next meal. It’s important to remain disciplined during the course of your treatment.
Always brush your teeth and aligners before putting them back into place.
Keep your aligners in their container when you’re not wearing them. Don’t place them in a napkin. Otherwise, you could risk unintentionally tossing out your aligners.
Follow-Up Appointments
Talk to your orthodontist about how often you’ll need to schedule follow-up appointments. They might have you return to the office every few weeks. These appointments allow your orthodontist to determine how your treatment plan is progressing.
They might need to make adjustments to your treatment plan if there are any issues.
Make sure to schedule an appointment right away if you lose one of the resin buttons on your teeth.
Using Retainers
At the end of your treatment plan, your orthodontist will remove the buttons from your newly straight teeth. Then, they’ll give you your retainers. Wearing your retainers will ensure you maintain your new smile.
Otherwise, your teeth might move back into their previous placement.
Get a Stunning Smile: Begin Your Invisalign Treatment Today
Beginning Invisalign treatment can help improve the appearance of your smile. You can show off your stunning, straight teeth with renewed confidence, too. Talk to your local orthodontist today to schedule your consultation appointment.
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