Why Invisalign Clear Braces is a Treatment to Smile About

Have you ever noticed that people with a beautiful and charming smile appear more attractive? This is the power of a beautiful smile. In fact, according to a survey conducted by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, people who have a beautiful smile have higher chances of being successful at work and in relationships. While nature has blessed some people with a naturally beautiful smile, others are not as fortunate.

How Your Smile Affects Your Personality

• Loss of Self-Confidence: Your smile has a direct link with your self-confidence. People who are unhappy with their smile avoid speaking or smiling in public. Not only this, an unpleasant smile is almost always an indicator of poor oral hygiene maintenance. It is difficult to clean crooked or crowded teeth, which can lead to bad breath because of gum inflammation. No one likes bad breath!

• Poor Dental and Physical Health: That is not all. Misaligned, crooked, or unevenly spaced teeth can seriously affect your general health and quality of life as well. Bad oral health has been linked to reduced immunity, and hence, vulnerability to other systemic diseases.

In the past, dentists used to correct tooth misalignment with metallic braces. Unfortunately, this was not a suitable treatment option for many people because of their metallic appearance. Also, fixed braces can cause difficulty in eating, speaking and maintaining oral hygiene routine.

Here’s the good news. You can get perfectly aligned and straight teeth without having a metal mouth right here in Woden! Say hello to the Invisalign removable aligners.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign treatment is an orthodontic treatment system which can straighten your teeth without the use of traditional wire braces. The Invisalign system uses removable aligners made from clear plastic. As a result, they will be barely visible to people whenever you smile or speak. Not only this, Invisalign aligners provide superior comfort and convenience in comparison to traditional braces. Also, unlike the conventional braces, you can also remove them for eating and cleaning your teeth.

The Procedure

• Invisalign Consultation and Treatment Planning: The first step in getting Invisalign aligners is a detailed clinical examination. Your dentist will examine your teeth and visualize study models and x-ray images of your teeth to prepare a customised treatment plan.
• Fabrication of Removable Aligners: Next, your dentist will take digital impressions of your teeth which feed them into specialised software. Your dentist will use this software to design multiple sets of aligners which will sequentially move your teeth in the desired direction. These aligners will be designed in such a way that they exert gentle and precise forces on your teeth to push them towards better alignment.

How Invisalign Aligners Work?

As your teeth move, and the pressure exerted by the Invisalign aligners will gradually diminish. After wearing a set of aligners for about one to two weeks, they will become loose. This is when you need to put on the next set of aligners, which will continue to move your teeth towards the desired alignment.

By the time you are finished wearing your last set of aligners, which may take between six to eighteen months to complete, your teeth will have moved into the correct position. Resulting in a remarkable improvement in your smile.

Invisalign vs. Conventional Braces

The Invisalign clear aligners were introduced as an alternative to traditional wire braces. Although dentists may choose to treat some cases with metal braces, the Invisalign aligners are used more often because of their multiple merits.

• Invisalign Aligners are Removable: The Invisalign aligners can be easily removed and put back on – all by yourself. Invisalign aligners allow you to enjoy all your favorite foods as you can easily remove them before eating. You can easily take your aligners off before brushing your teeth. This allows you to clean your teeth properly and prevent a variety of dental problems.

• Invisalign Aligners are Virtually Invisible: The aligners are made of clear plastic and are virtually invisible at a casual look. Metal braces, on the other hand, are quite conspicuous and do not present a beautiful sight. An improvement of metal braces in the form of tooth-coloured braces is also available at additional cost. But the net result is not as attractive.

• Comfort: Metal braces will have sharp edges which can bruise your soft oral tissue. This becomes a problem for patients who have a metal allergy. The Invisalign aligners are made from plastic by computer-aided machines. A mold of your mouth is made by your dentist. Therefore, they will not pose any problem.

• Reduced treatment time: The average treatment time with wire braces is about two years. The Invisalign reduces the treatment period between six and eighteen months. Mild orthodontic problems can even be treated with Invisalign in less than seven months.

The Limitations Of Invisalign

With all the merits, the Invisalign treatment does have some demerits which need consideration before you make a final decision.

• Patient compliance: The success of Invisalign treatment is directly dependent on the compliance of patients. For best results, patients are required to wear their aligners for at least 22 hours each day. Treatment time gets significantly prolonged for patients who frequently lose or forget their aligners.

• Limited use case: The Invisalign clear aligners are not suitable for treating extreme cases of tooth misalignment. In such cases, your dentist may choose conventional braces for treatment.

• Lifestyle choices: You cannot eat while you are wearing your aligners. You may drink water, but tea, coffee, and other colored beverages can stain your aligners ruining their cosmetic advantage. So, you have to make a choice between developing the habit of removing your aligners every time you need to drink your favorite beverages or to reduce the intake frequency of such drinks.

Invisalign Aftercare

Just as with braces, you will have to wear a retainer for a few months after the completion of your treatment. The retainer is necessary to prevent your teeth from moving back to their previous positions. Your dentist will make the retainers after making a scan of your teeth in their new place so that they can prevent your teeth from moving.

The retainers are worn during the day and night. However, they should be removed when eating or brushing your teeth. Later, your dentist may gradually start reducing the time you need to wear them during the day until you will no longer need them.

Why Invisalign Technology is so Good?

The Invisalign system is technologically the most advanced orthodontic treatment option available in the world. The excellence of this system has come from decades of research development involving leading edge dental knowledge and engineering development. CAD/ CAM Research has included over 900 patients, using the world’s most massive 3D printing operation and analyzing data from smiles of more than 5.5 million people. The result is an industry-leading treatment modality which is continually improving every aspect of its service. This makes Invisalign in Woden, and throughout Canberra, the most popular orthodontics treatment.

The Technological Benefits Of The Invisalign Aligner

The Invisalign system employs stereolithographic 3D printers for preparing aligners from medical grade polymers and SmartTrack technology. The resulting aligners are very elastic and deliver a constant yet gentle force to your teeth.

The remarkable flexibility of the Invisalign aligner material allows them to adapt accurately to the tooth morphology and fit more comfortably over the teeth. The Smart Force attachments made of enamel-colored composites attached to the teeth cause the aligners to grip your teeth better.

The iTero Digital Imaging

The iTero scanner permits the dentists to create an accurate image of your teeth and oral tissues in a few minutes. It works fast, by taking something like 600 images every second and even allows the patient to see that image. Coupled with a specially developed state of the art software, the scanner helps the dentist make you an accurate and comfortable set of aligners. It can even show what your smile will look like at the end of the treatment. Scans are taken at intermediate points to help the dentist make sure that treatment is going as planned.

The ClinCheck® Software

We use the versatile ClinCheck software to monitor the progress at every step of the treatment. The 3D printing reduces manual labor and improves the overall accuracy of the treatment. The 3D printer allows the dentist to start the treatment after the initial examination.

These are the reasons why the Invisalign clear braces have reduced the demand for metal braces. So, are you ready to enjoy the smile of your dreams with Invisalign aligners? At Acacia Dental, we offer a free Invisalign consultation. Call us on (02) 6281 2222 today and book your appointment at our Dental practice in Woden. Take the first step towards a charming, healthy and beautiful smile.