When your teeth start coming in as a child, how they sit in your jaws and the distance between them affect how you talk and eat and have long-term effects on your dental health. There are several ways your teeth can be misaligned (malocclusion), including the angle they’re positioned, the amount of space between teeth, and whether the upper or lower jaw juts out.
Orthodontics can correct most malocclusions, and Invisalign® is a frequent choice because it offers similar results to traditional braces without the embarrassment of seeing the metal brackets and wires. However, this solution doesn’t work overnight, so let’s review the basics of Invisalign, what happens during the treatment, and how long it takes to get results.
If you have misaligned teeth, the team at Nusblatt Dental in the East Village of Manhattan, New York, is happy to explain how effective Invisalign treatment can be at improving your smile.
Also called clear aligners or invisible braces, Invisalign doesn’t use metal or anything fixed to teeth like traditional braces. This teeth innovative system helps with malocclusions through a series of trays made of SmartTrack, a flexible thermoplastic material custom-fit to your teeth.
You wear your Invisalign aligners all the time unless you’re brushing your teeth, eating, or drinking. Because they don’t show when people wear them, they have become an immensely popular option for treating problems like crooked teeth, crowded teeth, and mild forms of underbite, overbite, and crossbite.
Traditional braces and clear aligners use the same principle to accomplish teeth straightening: the gradual application of pressure to move teeth into place. With Invisalign, the process starts with 3D imaging of your mouth. Then we get your first several sets of aligner trays formed, each slightly different, to gradually move teeth into place.
You wear them for at least 20-22 hours a day, and you switch to new aligners every one or two weeks. We check on your progress every five or six weeks before the next batch of aligners gets made.
Within the first few weeks, you should start noticing changes in your teeth's alignment. The gradual progress in every 10-14-day cycle of wearing each set will help you see the development as it happens.
The general time frame for wearing Invisalign aligner trays ranges between a year and 18 months — but it can be longer if you don’t wear your aligners as directed or if you have severe malocclusion. Each type of misalignment and the extent of the problem present slightly different expectations for when the treatment will take effect.
Getting teeth straightened takes time, but Invisalign is typically faster than traditional braces and helps you look good while it happens. To find out exactly what this treatment can do for you, contact Nusblatt Dental for a personal consultation today.
