One of the advantages of Invisalign’s removable alignment trays is that patients can eat whatever they like without fear of damaging traditional braces brackets. You also don’t need to worry about chewy or sticky food causing a wire to break. Furthermore, you won’t worry about food becoming lodged in your teeth or braces. Before you eat or drink any liquids other than water, just remove your trays and enjoy your meal! Read on for other oral health and lifestyle benefits of Invisalign.
What is Invisalign?
Invisalign is a modern alternative to traditional bracket and wire braces. Invisalign trays are made of clear, smooth plastic that is virtually invisible in person and photos. Each tray fits snugly over your top and bottom arch of teeth. You must wear your trays 20-22 hours per day to stay on track with your treatment plan.
Each set of alignment trays in your series will be slightly more aligned than your teeth.
As you progress through your trays, your teeth will gradually shift into alignment with the trays. This alignment technology differs from traditional braces, which use brackets bonded to the teeth and threaded with a wire to pull your teeth into alignment.
The length of your treatment will depend upon how many teeth need to be aligned, how severely misaligned the teeth are, and if you need to correct a bite issue such as an overbite or underbite. Most patients complete Invisalign treatment in 9-15 months.
Oral Health Benefits of Invisalign
Dentists love Invisalign because it allows patients to maintain good oral hygiene easier than traditional braces. Since the trays are removable, patients can brush the entire surface of the teeth during treatment. By contrast, bracket braces are cemented to the surface of the teeth allowing patients to only brush the surface that isn’t covered by a bracket.
Patients can floss normally without special tools when straightening their teeth with Invisalign. By contrast, with traditional braces, patients often need to use special floss threaders and other tools to clean between the teeth thoroughly. Regular, unobstructed flossing can help prevent bacteria from accumulating between the teeth or gum lines. This can help prevent decay and gum disease.
Invisalign also doesn’t pose any risk of scraping or lacerating the soft tissues in the mouth. There are no wires at risk of snapping, and the smooth aligners are non-abrasive to the insides of the lips and cheeks. This can prevent wounds, cuts, and scrapes that could potentially become infected.
Lifestyle Benefits of Invisalign
Invisalign doesn’t just support good oral health. Patients love the comfort, discretion, and ability to eat what they want. Invisalign particularly appeals to adults, who often prefer the nearly invisible trays to bulky bracket braces.
Patients can easily remove the trays for professional photos, family photos, special event photos, and even selfies. However, as long as you brush your trays daily and avoid drinking colored beverages while wearing your trays, they will stay clean and unnoticeable in photos anyway.
Likewise, although you need to wear your Invisalign trays most hours of the day, you do have a little wiggle room to take them out. Because switching to a new set of trays can cause a feeling of pressure, patients enjoy the fact that they can take them out for a few minutes at a time to alleviate the pressure. Since traditional braces are cemented to the teeth, there’s certainly no respite from pressure.
Learn More About Invisalign By Scheduling a No-Obligation Consultation at Belmont Family Dentistry
If you’re interested in finding out if Invisalign is right for you, we invite you to schedule a no-obligation consultation at Belmont Family Dentistry. Dr. Brachowicz will examine your mouth to determine your candidacy for Invisalign. Thanks to our state-of-the-art computer simulation software, you'll even be able to see what your smile will look like once you complete treatment. If you’re ready to take the steps towards a straighter smile, request an appointment today, or call 617-484-1760. To accommodate busy, working patients near Belmont, MA, we begin seeing patients at 7:00 am Monday - Thursday.