Orthodontic dentistry has come a long way in the past twenty years or so. It used to be that one would have to wear big bulky metal brackets and wires on their teeth for years in order to achieve the beautiful straight smile they were yearning after. Now, unless one needs a bunch of extra things such as rubber bands, headgear or springs, the look of perfectly straight teeth can be achieved with a removable, clear plastic mouth piece. There are several brands that offer this type of orthodontic equipment, but Invisalign is probably the most popular and well known.
Invisalign is the product of Align Technology. The invisalign system was developed and launched in 1999. After a test run, it was made available for dentists to give the treatment in their offices in 2002. The Invisalign technology is great for people that do not want to have to wear traditional braces, if the they do not have complex teeth problems that need to be fixed. It is a great choice for adults who might have some teeth that need to be straightened or spaced out but do not want to go with the metal braces look that is typically associated with adolescence.
The technology is fantastic and discrete, unless one is looking closely no one will know you are wearing the “aligners” as the company calls them. They also do not require you to limit your intake of or stay away from certain foods. With traditional metal braces, you cannot eat foods like popcorn, candies like Starbursts or chew gum because it might break the brackets or pull off your wires. But with Invisalign, you do not have to stop eating some of your delicious foods that can mess up traditional braces. The aligners are removable so you can remove them as you wish if you would like to snack on some popcorn at the movie theater or chew some gum for a few minutes. You will need to keep the aligners in the rest of the time when you are not eating or brushing your teeth in order to get the full effect of the aligners working on your teeth.
Just like with all technologies, there are some downsides to the Invisalign system. It requires a lot of self discipline in order to achieve the results you want, since they are removable. You cannot remove them and forget about them on a regular basis. They require you to be diligent about keeping them on your teeth, to help improve your teeth. They need to be worn continually, except when eating and brushing your teeth, and that includes during the night when you are sleeping. They will take some getting used to at first, they are invisible but there is still a bulky plastic cover over your teeth similar to a mouth guard. If you are able to stick through the learning period of taking care of your aligners and keeping them in, you’ll be successful in achieving your dream smile. But just like with traditional metal braces, the cost is something to consider as well when deciding on whether the treatment is worth the investment, typically, Invisalign is pricier than it’s counterpart metal and bracket system.
If you need lots of orthodontic work such as straightening and rotating teeth and fixing an overbite, it might be more cost effective to go with a the metal and bracket system for your needs. Align Technology has a calculator on their website, that will allow you to estimate the cost of your Invisalign, while this will give you a ballpark figure, it would be best to go visit an orthodontist that is trained in Invisalign and have an exam to get a more precise quote on your cost. Your insurance may or may not cover some of the cost of Invisalign, even if they do, you will still probably have a large out of pocket expense, as is usually the case with orthodontics. If your insurance covers metal braces fully or even partially, that might be a wiser choice to get your teeth fixed instead of paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for Invisalign.
If you have decided that you still want to go with the invisible braces. Do you research to get the best price possible. Some dental schools now include Invisalign in their curriculum so you could possible get a better rate. Check out reviews on websites such as Yelp, in order to find the best dentist for you in the area. It is a large investment and your research should be through in order to achieve the most that you can out of it.
Have more questions about Invisalign Treatments? Contact us for your complimentary consultation.
