If you would like to achieve a straighter, more beautiful smile but are not too excited about braces, you’re not alone. Many people dream of having a straight and beautiful smile, and thanks to new orthodontic technology, metal braces aren’t the only way to straighten teeth anymore. Alternative straightening options like clear aligners offer a discreet and comfortable way to align your teeth without wires or brackets.
Whether you’re dealing with crowding or bite issues, invisible aligners use smart technology to slowly move teeth into the right spots without wires and brackets. In this guide, we’ll discuss everything you need to know about invisible aligners.
Read on to learn more.
What Are Invisible Aligners?
Invisible aligners are plastic trays that fit over your upper and lower teeth to help with misalignment issues. Aligners work by applying low pressure to your teeth, gradually moving them into a straighter position.
Unlike traditional metal braces, these aligners are clear, discreet, and less uncomfortable compared to traditional braces.
With your orthodontist’s guidance, clear aligners can change how your teeth are aligned. You usually switch to a new set of aligners every 7-10 days as your teeth move. Each aligner is specially made to help you achieve a more beautiful smile.
You’ll get new aligners as your teeth adjust from the previous ones. Each set is 3D-printed based on your unique bite. You need to wear each aligner for at least 20-22 hours a day to ensure your teeth move as expected.
The Clear Aligner Process
If you are thinking about using clear aligners to straighten your teeth, it’s good to know how the whole process works from start to finish. Getting clear aligners is different from getting traditional braces, but the general steps are pretty similar. Knowing what to expect will help you decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Find a Dental Specialist Who Deals with Clear Aligners
The process starts by finding a dentist or orthodontist who specializes in clear aligners. Not every dentist or orthodontist has the right training and qualifications for this treatment.
Initial Consultation
Once you pick a qualified dentist, you’ll set up an appointment for an initial consultation. The dentist will look at your teeth and ask what you want to achieve. They’ll likely take some pictures and X-rays to check for any issues like tooth decay or gum disease. If you’re a good fit for the treatment, you’ll get an idea of how long it might take and what it will cost.
The Molding Process
During your first visit or a follow-up, your dentist will scan your teeth and take X-rays and photos. These will help create a precise model of your teeth and mouth. Your dentist will send the scans and treatment plan to the lab. Once they finish making your clear aligner trays, they’ll send them back to your dentist.
Fitting the First Tray
Your dentist will attach small dental attachments to keep your aligner trays in place and assist with moving your teeth gradually. These attachments are temporary, nearly invisible, and painless to put on. The dentist will check that your aligners fit properly and explain how to take care of them. After that, you’re all set to go.
Follow-up Visits
You should go for a follow-up appointment a few weeks after getting your clear aligners. Your dentist will check how well your trays fit and how your teeth are moving. You’ll go through several aligner trays before you reach your desired results.
Benefits of Invisible Aligners
The best thing about aligners is that they’re almost invisible. Other benefits include:
- Comfort—Clear aligners fit snugly over your teeth without brackets or wires that can poke or irritate your mouth
- Easier oral hygiene—You can take out your aligners to brush and floss like normal, unlike with braces
- No food restrictions—Since you remove aligners before eating, you can enjoy hard or sticky foods without worrying about breaking anything
- Fewer trips to the orthodontist—Aligners don’t need adjustments, so you won’t have to visit the office as often.
For dentists, the ease of keeping teeth clean with aligners is a big plus, and for patients, the look of them is often really important.
Getting a better smile can help boost your confidence. But fixing crooked teeth isn’t just about looking good; it’s also about keeping your teeth healthy in the long run. Crooked teeth can be tough to clean, leading to plaque buildup, cavities, and gum issues. Plus, if your teeth and jaws aren’t aligned, it can cause wear on your teeth, grinding, and problems with your jaw and joints. Straightening your teeth and jaws can make chewing, speaking, and other everyday tasks easier.
What Conditions Can Invisible Aligners Fix?
Below are different dental conditions that clear aligners can fix:
Close Gaps Between Your Teeth
Diastemas or gaps can happen for several reasons, like genetics, having smaller teeth compared to your jaw size, or habits such as thumb-sucking. They can also come from a disparity between jaw and tooth size.
Clear aligners can close gaps by applying steady pressure to move teeth into the right places. The personalized treatment ensures gaps close safely and evenly, leading to a nicer smile and improved oral health.
Overcrowding
Overcrowding happens when there’s not enough room in your jaw for all the teeth, causing them to grow at weird angles or overlap. This condition can be due to genetics, losing baby teeth too early, or adult teeth coming in late.
Invisible aligners can help with mild overcrowding. They apply gentle pressure to slowly move teeth into better spots, creating more room and reducing overcrowding.
Bite Problems
Bite issues happen when your lower and upper teeth don’t line up properly when your mouth is shut. Some common problems are an open bite (where your front teeth don’t touch) and a deep bite (when the lower and upper front teeth overlap too much).
Invisalign can be a great way to fix different bite problems. The custom aligners help move your teeth into a better position, leading to a more aligned bite. A balanced bite means better dental health and a beautiful smile.
Malocclusion
Malocclusion is when teeth don’t line up properly when your jaws are closed. Below are the different types of malocclusion:
- Overbite (where your upper teeth overlap with the lower ones)
- Crossbite (where your lower and upper teeth don’t align)
- Underbite (where your lower teeth overlap the upper teeth)
Invisible aligners can fix different kinds of malocclusion, based on how severe it is. They gradually correct the misalignment, helping create a balanced bite. This alignment not only makes your smile look better, but also improves jaw performance and lowers the likelihood of dental problems from a bad bite.
Caring for Your Invisible Aligners
Invisible aligners make it easier to straighten your teeth, but you still need to take care of them. If you do not clean them well, they can get stained, hold bacteria, and smell bad. A few easy steps can help keep them fresh and clear, so your orthodontic treatment remains on track. Here are some tips to help you care for your aligners:
Clean Your Invisible Aligners Daily
Since you wear your Invisalign aligners a lot, you must keep them clean. Use lukewarm water to rinse them every time you take them out. Use a soft-bristle toothbrush with no toothpaste and gently scrub the surface of your aligners. Avoid hot water because it can warp your clear aligner and mess up the fit.
Soak the Aligners
Even if you brush them every day, your invisible aligners still need some extra attention. Soak them in denture tablets and aligner cleaner for approximately 15 minutes daily. Doing this will help get rid of any leftover buildup and keep them fresh. Avoid using mouthwash since it could stain the plastic.
Use Them As Instructed
Your aligners will not do their job if you just leave them in the case. To achieve the best outcome, wear them for at least 20 to 22 hours a day. If you skip or delay wearing them, it can slow your progress and make your treatment take longer.
Store Them Well
You’d be surprised how often people lose their aligners. When you’re not using them, always put them in the case your dentist gave you to avoid losing them, getting bacteria on them, or damaging them.
Make sure to brush and floss your teeth before putting your aligners back in.
Putting them over uncleaned teeth traps bacteria. Always clean your teeth first to keep your breath fresh and prevent plaque and cavities.
Remove Them Before You Eat Or Drink
Aligners aren’t meant for chewing food, and food particles can get stuck in them. Make sure to take them out for anything other than water. Drinks like tea, coffee, and soda could stain your aligners, and biting hard food or candy can break them.
Who Is a Good Fit for Invisible Aligners?
Invisible aligners are custom-made for a snug fit, so they’re great for adults or teens. Straightening a child’s teeth is trickier since their mouths are still growing, and the doctor needs to consider that when planning treatment.
Clear orthodontic aligners usually work for people with mild or moderate crowding or minor spacing issues. If you have severe crowding, spacing, or bite problems (like overbites, underbites, or crossbites), you might need more complex treatment.
Drawbacks of Invisible Aligners
You usually need to wear invisible aligners for 20-22 hours a day. If you don’t wear them enough, they might not work well. Wearing them for about 22 hours leaves just enough time for brushing and eating. If you snack a lot between meals, the aligners won’t be on long enough to do their job.
Even though you can take them out to eat and brush your teeth, they can trap food and drinks against your teeth, which might increase your chances of cavities and gum disease. So, it’s best to stick to water while wearing them.
Invisible aligners can be pricey, sometimes even more than braces. Some dental insurance plans cover orthodontic treatments, including invisible aligners, but others might not cover them at all or only partially. Most insurance plans cover a basic fee for orthodontics, which usually includes metal braces. But since ceramic braces and invisible aligners are seen as upgrades, they often aren’t covered. So, depending on your insurance, you might have to pay for aligners yourself.
When you first start using invisible aligners, talking normally might be tricky. You could have a slight lisp and struggle with certain sounds until you get used to them.
Some invisible aligner brands let you order directly without seeing an orthodontist or dentist in person. But since moving teeth is complicated, doing it by yourself can be risky, and if something goes wrong, you might need more treatment later.
The Cost of Invisible Aligners
The price of aligners usually depends on the dentist or orthodontist and can be more expensive than braces. Typically, invisible aligner treatment ranges from $5,000 to $6,000. On average, orthodontic treatment costs about $5,300 for teens and $5,600 for adults.
The Difference Between Invisalign and Clear Braces
Both clear braces and Invisalign aligners are less noticeable than traditional metal braces, but they’re quite different.
Clear Braces
Also called invisible braces, these use ceramic brackets that match the color of your teeth, making them hard to see from afar. They work like metal braces since the brackets are attached to the teeth and connected by wires that help move the teeth into place.
Invisalign Aligners
These are clear plastic trays that fit snugly over your teeth, making them hard to spot. They can fix bite issues, but they’re not as effective for serious dental problems compared to clear braces.
What’s the Difference Between Them?
Both metal braces and clear braces are fixed in your mouth with wires and brackets wires, so only an orthodontist can take them off. On the other hand, Invisalign aligners can be taken out whenever you need to eat or brush your teeth.
Invisalign aligners are made to fit your mouth perfectly, and your dentist will give you a set of aligners to take home. You need to switch them out every one to two weeks, or as your dentist recommends, and toss them after two weeks for the next one in the set. Clear braces need to be adjusted at least once a month to keep your teeth moving into place gradually.
Cleaning clear braces can be tricky because food gets stuck in the brackets. Invisalign aligners are easier to clean since you can just take them out and wash them with soap and water before putting them back in.
Clear braces can be uncomfortable, especially if a wire comes loose and scratches the inside of your mouth. Clear aligners are more comfortable because they’re made of plastic and don’t scrape your mouth.
Clear braces aren’t very durable since they’re made of ceramic, so you might have to visit the orthodontist a few times for repairs during treatment. Clear aligners are more durable, but since they’re removable, they can be easy to lose.
Invisible Aligner Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some commonly asked questions about invisible aligners:
Are Clear Aligners Good For Your Teeth?
It depends on how your teeth are positioned, but clear aligners can be a solid choice for getting your teeth straight.
If you’re using invisible aligners, make sure to brush your teeth after eating or drinking and before putting them back in. Otherwise, food and drink can get stuck in there, which isn’t great for your teeth.
How Long Does It Take To Straighten Teeth With Invisible Aligners?
The time it takes varies based on how much your teeth need to move. If your bite is off or your teeth are really crooked, it can take longer. Usually, it’s between 10 and 24 months. But if you’re an adult who had braces as a kid and your teeth just shifted a bit, you might only need them for around 10 weeks.
Since invisible aligners aren’t as precise as regular braces, some people might need a few months of braces after treatment to make smaller adjustments.
Do Invisible Aligners Get Discolored?
Yes, they can get discolored. Discoloration usually happens from staining due to drinks, food, smoking, or not keeping up with oral hygiene, which can cause buildup on the aligners.
Find A Clear Aligner Orthodontist Near Me
Invisible aligners are a more subtle choice than braces if you want to straighten your teeth. They use a set of plastic trays that fit over your teeth and gradually shift them. You can take the aligners out while eating and brushing your teeth, but you should keep up with good oral hygiene and wear them as much as your dentist or orthodontist recommends. They can help you figure out if invisible aligners are the right fit for you.
If you are thinking of straightening your teeth using invisible aligners, contact Tarzana Dental Care at 818-708-3232.