You have probably heard about Invisalign clear braces, but how do the aligners work? Invisalign clear aligners are designed to gradually and gently move your teeth into place using a series of invisible trays. The trays are changed out every few days, depending on your situation.
Award Winning Invisalign Braces Treatment
Dr. Geoffry Skinner is the recipient of the prestigious Invisalign Doctor of the Year award, is a board member of the American Academy of Clear Aligners, and teaches other dentists and doctors for the Invisalign Corporation. Dr. Skinner will advise you and explain every step of your Invisalign treatment.
The Invisalign Braces Process
- Step One: Design Treatment Plan. We start your Invisalign treatment with x-rays, pictures, and a 3-D digital scan of your teeth. After Dr. Skinner examines your smile, we decide on your specific needs and design a treatment plan just for you. We will also discuss the cost of your Invisalign treatment to align your goals with an affordable plan.
- Step Two: Decide if Orthodontic acceleration is for you. Orthodontic acceleration can cut the time you need to wear your trays from years to months while making it more comfortable at the same time. Remember Acceleration is ONLY available if you see a qualified dentist in person. This procedure is NOT available via any mail order aligner company. Learn more about why you should avoid mail order aligners.
- Step Three Receive Your Custom Aligners and Get Started. Clear aligner trays are quickly created from the digital scans of your teeth, each one designed to gently push your teeth into a new position. You pick them up here in our office, or we may have many of them mailed to you.
- Step Four: Change Your Aligners as Needed. Your series of trays should be changed out every few days, or as soon as your teeth fit perfectly into your aligners. Each time you switch to a new set of aligner trays, you give your teeth a new direction for alignment.
- Step Five: Start Sharing Your Stunning New Smile! After your time is up and Dr. Skinner has had a final check out of your teeth, you are all done! The aligners have gently moved your teeth into their final position creating your straighter, more confident smile.
The staff is always friendly; they did a great job both on my cleaning and my Invisalign treatment, which only took three months! I’m going to talk about the thing that everyone cares about pain. They were always very sensitive to what you were feeling and always numbed me up pretty good. The best dentist I’ve been to in that regard. On to other things, they had great recommendations for oral health in general, and they can usually book you really soon without too much notice, so that’s always convenient. Dr. Skinner is also apparently pretty well renowned among the doctors trained in Invisalign. He’s very knowledgeable about how things work, and he was even able to get me to understand what was going on in my mouth regarding the state of my oral health and the things to come with the treatment in some pretty good depth. They also had lots of options regarding payment, but I just chose to pay upfront personally, and I feel they delivered on their end of the bargain even though I had already paid, a great place to be.
– Brian Schwarm
How Long do You Wear Invisalign For?
You might be wondering how long Invisalign treatment will take. The answer depends on a variety of factors, including your individual tooth alignment issues and the number of teeth needing to be treated at once–but in general, patients can expect to wear their aligners for 3 – 12 months. Most people will be able to get their treatment completed in under 180 days. Adults often need to wear their aligners for a longer period of time than teenagers because teenagers’ teeth are more easily moved. This is why adults require a little more treatment time before seeing benefits. You will need to wear your aligners as much as possible every day, even while you sleep. You can take them out when you eat or go to a party, but you need to wear them for at least 22 hours a day.
Will Invisalign Clear Braces Work for Me?
Our Invisalign alignment system works great for both teens and adults. The Invisalign clear braces are made from SmartTrack® material. The design uses cutting-edge technology and can straighten teeth for virtually all orthodontic patients. Learn more about Invisalign for Teens.
Is Invisalign better than Braces?
Invisalign is faster and more comfortable than traditional metal braces, and because Invisalign aligners are clear, no one will be aware you are straightening your teeth. With metal wire braces, it is very obvious that you are having your teeth straightened. With Invisalign clear braces being virtually invisible, no one will know that you are working on a new beautiful fantastic smile. Invisalign therapy is faster. It usually only takes 6-12 months, whereas metal wire braces can take 2-3 years. Invisalign clear aligners are generally less expensive as there are fewer trips to the dentist, which is also a great time saver for our patients. In conclusion, YES. For most people, in most cases, Invisalign is better than braces.
Do You Sleep in Invisalign?
The answer is Yes. Wearing Invisalign when you sleep is easy and comfortable, and you won’t even feel that you have them in. It is best to wear your aligners for at least 22 hours a day, including when you are sleeping. Sleeping is the easiest and most opportune time to wear your aligners. Traditional braces are always worn 24/7, so being able to take out your clear aligners from time to time gives you more freedom. Invisalign aligners precisely fit each individual’s smile without any problems whatsoever, which means your Invisalign aligners will never be a problem or a hindrance to your lifestyle.
Is it OK to leave Invisalign out for a day?
The downside of missing any time wearing Invisalign® is that your teeth might shift back toward their original position. This is not a major or serious issue; it just means that you might have to wear your aligners a little bit longer. In rare cases, this could result in slight discomfort for you and those around you who love to see you smile! Missing a short amount of time with Invisalign is not the end of the world as long as you can get it back on track. Simply reinsert the aligner, and if there are no issues, your progress will resume where it left off. If It does not fit comfortably, do not force it. Contact our dental office and explain your situation. If your teeth have shifted too far, you may have to return to your previous aligner tray before proceeding with your treatment plan.
Are braces faster than Invisalign?
Invisalign and Candid clear aligner therapy is much faster than traditional braces. Metal wire braces typically take two years to complete the alignment process. In our office, Dr. Skinner can usually complete most of our patients’ Invisalign clear aligner treatment within 6-12 months. Though, many cases can take as little as 90 days. Invisalign clear aligners have been proven to work much faster than metal wire braces because the teeth constantly move. With metal braces, the teeth move for a week or so; then, they stop moving until the subsequent adjustment by the orthodontist. The unique design of clear aligner trays apply pressure simultaneously to all your teeth together as opposed to each individual tooth, as metal wire braces do, making them much faster and more effective at giving you a beautiful, amazing, charismatic smile.
Do you have to wear an Invisalign retainer forever?
Even though Invisalign moves your teeth differently than traditional braces, both treatments aim for the same result, giving you beautifully aligned straight teeth. After any teeth straightening treatment, the best results require you to wear retainers to keep your teeth in their perfect place. After this alignment process, it is important to wear an orthodontic retainer. You will need to wear it until the new bone in your jaw is solid again after the tooth movement is complete, which will lock your teeth in place. It only takes 9 to 12 months for your jaw to build up enough bone structure to stabilize your teeth; hence, you will have to wear your orthodontic retainer for about 9-12 months, or as your dental professional suggests.
Do you eat with Invisalign?
Invisalign aligners are comfortable enough to eat with them easily; however, if you would like to take them out while you eat, that is absolutely fine. Eating time, just like any time, is valuable time to take advantage of to move your teeth into their final, most beautiful positions. Maintaining good dental hygiene is essential, so feel free to take your aligners out for as long as you need to keep your teeth clean. Some dentists recommend removing them while drinking hot coffee or tea. If you are not comfortable eating or drinking with them in, you can take them out as long as you don’t leave them out too long.
Will a Straighter Smile Increase My Confidence?
Virtually all of our patients tell us that their new straight smiles have improved their confidence. Why worry about misaligned teeth or a less than perfect smile if you don’t have to? Invisalign invisible braces can give you the Hollywood smile you have always dreamed of.
Clear braces can also look great while you are wearing them! You don’t need to attract unnecessary attention to your smile with metal wires and brackets. With Acceleration, you can have a beautiful new smile in almost no time at all!
Click Now for Your FREE Invisalign Consultation
Once I Have the Invisalign Aligners, What’s Next?
Wearing Invisalign clear aligner trays is easy! The smooth material doesn’t cause sores or mouth pain, and fewer checkups are needed during treatment. Simply wear your invisible aligners every day.
Aligners are also easy to remove so you can continue to eat all the foods you love. You don’t need to worry about special cleaning tools either! Regular tooth brushing and flossing are easy.
Click Now for Your FREE Invisalign Consultation
Are You Ready for Your New Million Dollar Smile?
Call 503-648-6671 Now! Our Friendly Smile Team is Ready to Schedule Your Completely FREE, no Obligation Invisalign Consultation!