How Invisalign Can Straighten Your Teeth

If you’re considering orthodontic treatment, you’ll find that advances in dental technology have resulted in choices that involve less discomfort, embarrassment, and treatment time than traditional metal braces. One of the most popular and effective options uses Invisalign® clear aligners, a system that has successfully corrected more than 9 million misaligned smiles for patients of all ages. 

The Invisalign system uses removable clear plastic aligners rather than traditional metal brackets and wires. This technology has a proven track record of correcting a wide range of orthodontic issues including crowded teeth, overbites, underbites, crossbites, and gapped teeth, without many of the disadvantages of metal braces.

Invisalign dental providers, like our Invisalign specialists at Rifkin Dental in Yorktown Heights and Carmel, New York, complete special training to ensure that patients get the best possible results when using this system. With years of professional orthodontic experience, our Invisalign specialists at Rifkin Dental use advanced technology to determine your orthodontic needs and design an individualized treatment plan to correct your smile.

Find out more about what’s involved with Invisalign orthodontic treatment and how this state-of-the-art system can make a difference in your smile.

How Invisalign works

Invisalign treatment involves wearing a series of customized clear aligners that use gentle pressure to gradually move your teeth. Your aligners are produced from a 3D dental scan of your entire mouth. The thin thermoplastic material used to manufacture the aligners is trimmed to fit the contours of your gums.

The customization involved in producing your clear aligners ensures that they fit snugly over your teeth without moving. This contributes to a comfortable fit with less risk of having your aligners slip out of place.

At the beginning of your treatment, you’re given a set of aligners customized for your mouth and treatment plan. You wear your first set of aligners for one to two weeks, then switch to the next set. 

You progress through your Invisalign treatment by changing to a new set of aligners every week or two, as directed by your dentist. Each aligner moves your teeth slightly closer to their desired position.

Discreet and removable treatment

One of the reasons that Invisalign ranks as a popular choice for orthodontic treatment is that it offers the option of correcting your teeth more discreetly than metal braces. The material used to make clear aligners is virtually invisible during wear, so it doesn’t attract attention to the fact that you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment. 

Since Invisalign aligners are removable, you can even take a few hours off from treatment if you want to look your best for an important professional or social event. 

Most Invisalign plans require that you wear your aligners for at least 20-22 hours daily to stay on track with your treatment timeline. However, you can remove your aligners for the following reasons without affecting your results:

• Eating and drinking
• Cleaning your aligners
• Brushing and flossing your teeth
• Having dental checkups and cleanings
• Attending special events

More comfortable and convenient straightening

Invisalign clear aligners accomplish effective, permanent tooth straightening without many of the inconvenient disadvantages associated with traditional braces.

Without metal brackets and wires, you won’t have to make frequent office visits for uncomfortable wire adjustments or emergency visits when a bracket or wire breaks. While you may experience some light pressure with each new pair of aligners during the first few days of wear, it’s minimal when compared to having metal wires replaced. 

With Invisalign clear aligners, you’ll only have to visit your dentist every six to eight weeks to receive a new set of aligners. At that time, your dentist conducts an examination to ensure that your teeth are moving as expected. 

In addition to requiring less time in our dental office, tooth correction with Invisalign typically includes less overall treatment time from start to finish. For some patients, this can mean achieving their goals up to 50% faster than treatment with metal braces. 

Find out more about how Invisalign works and whether it’s the right approach for your orthodontic treatment. Schedule a consultation by calling our Yorktown Heights or Carmel office today.