Straighter teeth can improve your health? It’s true, according to studies by the American Dental Association (ADA). It’s why innovations like Invisalign provide benefits that extend beyond straighter teeth.
Crowded or widely-separated teeth leave your gums susceptible to bacteria, which can cause oral infection. Ignored for too long, they “can also lead to other more serious ailments like heart disease, pneumonia and diabetes,” .
Correctly aligned teeth combat these diseases by making oral hygiene easier, thus improving your overall health. However, for many people, the prospect of wearing clunky metal braces for a year or more can be a turn off.
That’s what makes Invisalign, the transparent retainer-like tooth aligners, a more attractive option. Besides being an effective method of straightening teeth, Invisalign comes without the typical hassles that result from metal braces.
Four Steps to Straighter Teeth
Comfort, effectiveness and transparency are core components for Invisalign. What makes it all tick is the custom-built aligners that you wear like a retainer.
How do you get Invisalign? Here are the fours steps to straighter teeth:
1. Determine if you’re a candidate with a consultation: While Invisalign can treat many cases of crooked teeth, some are too extreme for Invisalign to fix. However, there is only one way to find out if you’re a good candidate for treatment, and that’s by scheduling a consultation with a dentist that offers Invisalign.
2.Get pictures, x rays and impressions made: If the dentist determines you are a candidate, the next step is to have an impression of your teeth made. Invisalign will use this impression to create your tooth aligners.
Your dentist or orthodontist will take pictures and x-rays to see how the roots of your teeth are aligned. Then, Invisalign will produce a video to show you how the aligners can shift your teeth over time.
Your video and treatment plan will be ready in about three days, at which point you can schedule an appointment to view everything. If you agree to the final treatment plan, your first aligners will arrive approximately two weeks later for you to begin treatment.
3. Put in your first set of aligners: Your first set of retainer-like aligners have arrived, so pop them in. They’ll gradually and gently shift your teeth based on the plan your dentist or orthodontist lays out for you.
IMPORTANT: With great convenience comes great responsibility. One of the biggest advantages of Invisalign is how easy they are to remove for eating or brushing your teeth. However, except for cleaning, you should always keep the aligners in your mouth, otherwise the procedure won’t work.
4. Change your aligners every two weeks: Every two weeks, you’ll pop in a new set of aligners, given to you by your dentist. You’ll receive three sets of aligners per visit, so you only have to come in to pick them up once every six weeks. Continue this process until your treatments is finished – typically in nine months to a year.
How to Find Out if You’re a Candidate?
Invisalign has been proven to help a myriad of dental issues, including crooked teeth. However, every case is unique.
To get an idea if you are a good candidate, take Invisalign’s free . Provide a bit of information about yourself and what you’re looking to correct in your teeth, and the assessment will determine if you are a good candidate.
Be aware that an online assessment can only tell you so much. Even if it says you are a good candidate, only a trained professional can make that assessment. Set up a consultation with a dentist or orthodontist that supplies Invisalign to confirm if you are a candidate. Dentistry of Madison, for example, offers a .
Your smile is a good indicator of your overall health. That’s why when you get your teeth straightened with an innovation like Invisalign, you’re improving more than just cosmetics. You could be extending your life, and that’s definitely something to smile about.