Invisalign – Mesquite, TX

Crowded Teeth

If your teeth are overcrowded, then your appearance and oral health can both suffer. In addition to being visually displeasing, it’s harder to clean them when you can’t reach all surfaces. This leaves you more vulnerable to issues like tooth decay and gum disease, so it’s a good idea to straighten your smile.

Gaps Between Teeth

If you have wide spaces between your teeth, then bits of food are much more likely to get stuck and attract cavity-causing bacteria. The good news is that Invisalign can gently push your teeth closer together, reducing your chances of tooth decay, gum disease, and the like in the process.

Overbite

Although you want your top teeth to sit in front of your bottom teeth, you don’t want them to protrude significantly. This bite problem is referred to as an overbite, and it can lead to chronic jaw pain, trouble enunciating clearly, low self-esteem, and TMJ dysfunction. If you’re a candidate for Invisalign, then we can improve the alignment of your teeth and bite before that happens.

Underbite

What if your lower teeth sit in front of your upper teeth? This is referred to as an underbite, and, similar to an overbite, it can negatively impact the look, health, and function of your smile. Also like an overbite, Invisalign may be a solution. To find out, schedule a consultation with our Mesquite dental team.

Crossbite

Crossbites are often the result of genetics, and it’s when some of your upper teeth sit in front of your lower teeth, and some of your lower teeth sit in front of your upper teeth. In addition to an increased risk of TMJ dysfunction, this bite problem can lead to premature wear as well as chronic jaw pain. That’s why we want to address it as soon as possible, ideally with Invisalign!

Open Bite

Open bites often develop due to childhood habits, like thumb-sucking. In this case, your teeth don’t come together when you bite down (either in the front or the back). With clear aligners and other orthodontic accessories, like rubber bands, we can address mild to moderate cases of open bites.

Transparent Trays

If your teeth are crooked, gapped, or overcrowded, or you have bite misalignment, you might already feel self-conscious about your appearance. Unfortunately, standard braces usually do very little to help enhance your appearance.

Thankfully, clear aligners allow your natural enamel to show through, and many patients start to see improvements within just a couple of weeks. That means you’ll be showing off an already straighter smile as your treatment progresses.

Boosted Confidence

This ‘invisible’ solution is much more discreet than traditional orthodontics, helping enhance your appearance to boost your confidence. This, in turn, can improve your daily quality of life and contribute to better educational or professional achievements, a busier social life, and more rewarding relationships.

Enhanced Comfort

Braces are notorious for causing aches and cutting the tender tissues inside your mouth, which can make routine tasks like eating and speaking feel uncomfortable. Although any treatment that exerts enough pressure on your teeth can hurt, Invisalign is generally considered a less painful alternative to traditional orthodontics.

This is because the smooth plastic material is less likely to damage the inner lining of your lips, cheeks, or gums. With that said, it’s normal to feel sore when you first start wearing new trays, but this usually resolves on its own in a few days.

No Dietary Restrictions

Patients with braces must adhere to strict dietary restrictions to avoid damaging the brittle metal material, but that’s not the case for those with Invisalign. These transparent trays are completely removable and not intended to be worn during meals, so you can enjoy all your favorite foods without worrying about falling off track with your treatment timeline.

Easier Maintenance

These removable aligners are also usually easier to clean than braces, which often require special accessories, like interproximal brushes or an oral irrigator, to help complete your twice-daily dental hygiene routine.

You may be less likely to develop cavities or gum disease with Invisalign because the removable trays help you maintain routine brushing and flossing to protect your dental health.

Shorter Treatment Timeline

Would you be surprised to learn that many people complete Invisalign within 12 to 18 months? That might seem far off when you’re a new patient, but it’s a faster timeline than the 24+ months it usually takes to complete traditional orthodontics.

However, your anticipated treatment timeline with clear aligners could be longer or shorter than the average, based on your unique circumstances.

Meeting the 22 Hour-a-Day Wear Time

In order to stay on track with your treatment plan, you need to wear your aligners for roughly 22 hours a day. Since you need to take them out before eating and completing your oral hygiene regimen, you might be wondering how you can realistically meet that number. We recommend only taking them out when absolutely necessary, putting them back on immediately after brushing your teeth, and using the stopwatch on your phone to track your wear time.

Cleaning Your Teeth and Your Trays

Fortunately, you don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of special oral hygiene products, like denture cleaners, interproximal toothbrushes, and pre-threaded floss. In fact, you really only need two things to keep your aligners clean: water and a soft-bristled toothbrush. To keep your trays stain-free, clean them thoroughly before you put them back in your mouth (using cool or lukewarm water). Always make sure to brush and floss your teeth beforehand so food particles, plaque, and the like aren’t trapped in place.

Navigating Mealtimes

With traditional braces, one of the best ways to prevent orthodontic emergencies is to avoid crunchy, hard, and sticky foods, including healthy ones like raw nuts and whole apples. Don’t worry – Invisalign doesn’t come with any dietary restrictions. Just take your trays off, rinse them with clean, cool water, and place them in their designated storage case beforehand. Then, put them back on as soon as you can (after brushing and flossing your teeth, of course).

Damaging a Tray

Before giving you your first set of aligners, a member of our Mesquite dental team will give you some helpful tips on how to avoid damaging them, like cleaning them over a sink filled with water. That said, accidents can happen, and it’s important to know what to do if you find yourself with a broken tray. We recommend calling us ASAP to share what happened and how severe the break is. That way, we can determine if a replacement needs to be made or if you can move onto the next set in the series.

Prioritizing Routine Check-Ins

Although you’ll be able to progress through your treatment plan at home, it’s still of the utmost importance that you prioritize your check-in visits at our office. Usually, they are scheduled every six to eight weeks so we can periodically monitor how your teeth are responding to the aligners. If they are tracking as anticipated, then the entire visit will be pretty short (about 15 minutes or so).