How Much Time Does Invisalign Need to Straighten Your Teeth?

If you have crooked and misaligned teeth, you will likely try to hide your smile and search for remedies to straighten your teeth. Orthodontists offer the best treatment for teeth straightening with braces. Unfortunately, they are not appealing and might cause embarrassment because you must have metal brackets, wires, and bands over your teeth for three years or more when straightening your teeth. If you are reluctant to seek treatment from orthodontists, dentist 77379 provides an alternative with Invisalign that you will find appealing.

What is Invisalign?

Invisalign is an alternative to traditional orthodontic appliances having a removable feature. Invisalign is a clear tooth aligner created for people who find the thought of having a mouthful of metal unattractive to commit. If you are a candidate for Invisalign treatment, you can maintain your smile aesthetics even as you continue straightening your teeth.

The Invisalign System

Using removable aligners to straighten teeth is not a new phenomenon. Invisalign first developed the concept and introduced it in the 40s before revisiting it in the 70s, requiring a series of dental impressions to determine the best position of the teeth. The current update is more straightforward than its predecessors requiring merely one set of impressions and photographs of the teeth taken by Invisalign in Spring, TX.

The impressions taken by the dentist are utilized to create a 3D computer projection of how the teeth need movement incrementally to form the basis for making customized aligners designed to accomplish the goal.

The manufacture of Invisalign clear aligners happens at the Align Technologies Dental Lab using CAD/CAM technology. The aligners are dispatched to the dentist, who dispenses them in groups of one or two during regular assessments every 6 to 8 weeks to manage the treatment appropriately. Each aligner must be worn on the teeth in their specific order for approximately two weeks, during which time the aligners move the teeth in small increments of .25 mm to .33 mm. The aligners must remain over your teeth for a minimum of 20 to 22 hours every day, although they are removable for eating, drinking certain beverages, and brushing and flossing.

Do You Qualify for Invisalign Treatment?

Invisalign is currently approved for adults and teenagers with complete jaw development who can commit to following their dentist’s instructions on how long to wear the aligners every day, what they can eat and must avoid, and seeing their dentist for follow-up appointments et cetera. For example, your dentist might recommend you drink only water while wearing the aligner to prevent staining of the dental-grade plastic. Compromising the treatment recommendations will delay the eventual results and treatment success.

The researchers at Align Technologies confirm Invisalign helps correct the following mild to moderate dental problems. They are:

• Overly Crowded Teeth: If you have insufficient room in your jaw for all your teeth to fit comfortably, you have highly crowded teeth.
• Widely Spaced Teeth: Abnormal jaw growth or shifting of your teeth due to tooth loss creates too much space between the teeth to cause widely spaced teeth.
• Overbites: If your upper teeth overlap your lower teeth, you have an overbite.
• Crossbite: when your upper and lower jaws are misaligned, causing one or more of your upper teeth to bite inside the lower teeth on the front or side of your mouth, you have a crossbite.
  Invisalign might also work as a treatment alternative for simple malocclusion like bite irregularities.

How Much Time Does It Take for Invisalign?

Typical Invisalign treatments require 20 to 30 aligners for both the upper and lower teeth. Most adults can complete Invisalign treatment in approximately 12 months. However, the treatment time is determined by the specific alignment problem.

Compliance with the dentist’s instructions also plays a significant role in how soon you can complete Invisalign treatment to straighten your teeth. Leaving the aligners out of your mouth for periods beyond the specified timeline compromises your results requiring you to invest in additional aligners or express satisfaction with unsatisfactory results. Therefore as Invisalign aligners are not attached to your teeth, you are responsible for ensuring the treatment functions unhindered by adhering to your dentist’s instructions.

If you think you can satisfy the requirements of this alternative orthodontic treatment from Invisalign, please contact Houston Cosmetic & Family Dentistry — Dr. Paul Graf, DDS, in Spring, TX, to get evaluated and begin your treatment to straighten your teeth.