What is invisalign?
Invisalign® is the invisible way to straighten your teeth without braces.

Invisalign® uses a series of clear removable aligners (pictured below) to straighten your teeth without metal wires or brackets.

Invisalign® has been proven effective in clinical research and in orthodontic practices nationwide. In fact, over 70% of all U.S. orthodontists are certified to treat patients with Invisalign®.


How does invisalign® work?
You wear each set of aligners for about 2 weeks, removing them only to eat, drink, brush, and floss.

As you replace each aligner with the next in the series, your teeth will move - little by little, week by week - until they have straightened to the final position prescribed.

You'll visit our office about once every 6 weeks to ensure that your treatment is progressing as planned.

Total treatment time averages 9-15 months and the average number of aligners worn during treatment is between 18 and 30, but both will vary for each patient.

How are invisalign® aligners made?
State of the art computer technology plays a vital role in the process. In fact, invisalign's® high-volume, customized manufacturing process is the first of its kind in the world. The diagrams below show how invisalign® aligners are made.

First we take impressions of your teeth.		We send invisalign® your impressions which are used to make plaster models of your teeth.		Using advanced imaging technology, invisalign® transforms your plaster models into a highly accurate 3-D digital image.		ClinCheck® - a computerized movie - is created depicting the movement of your teethfrom the beginning to their final position.
Using the Internet, we review your ClinCheck file with you for your approval. If necessary, adjustments to the depicted plan can be made.		From your approved ClinCheck file, invisalign® uses laser scanning to build a set of actual models that reflect each stage of your treatment plan.		Your customized set of aligners is made from these models. It is sent to us and we give them to you. You wear each aligner for about two weeks.		After wearing all of your aligners in the series, you get the beautiful smile you've always wanted.

Why get invisalign®?
Which of us is wearing Invisalign®?

We both are!

Invisalign® can help you get the great smile you've always wanted because it's...

Invisalign® also allows you to view your own virtual treatment plan when you start, so you can see how your teeth will look when your treatment is complete.

Will my child's teeth straighten as they grow?
The space available for teeth in the mouth does not increase with age; therefore, there won't be any opportunity for your child's teeth to straighten without orthodontic treatment. The fact is, after the molars erupt (usually in the sixth year), the space in the mouth actually gets smaller as the child grows older. If your child has crowded teeth, it's best to come in for a ORTHODONTIC CONSULTATION sooner (age 7) rather than later.

Can my family dentist do invisalign®?
Your family general dentist may have taken some additional weekend training seminars to become a certified invisalign® provider. Your general dentist is obliged to assume professional dental care for all of his patients. He or she knows what he or she is adequately skilled to do. You can trust your general dentist to do what he or she does well and refer you to a specialist for work needed beyond his or her scope of training.

Orthodontists are dentists that complete at least two additional years of very comprehensive full time specialized university training. They handle the simplest as well as the most complicated orthodontic problems, which general dentists are typically not qualified to treat. .

Do I need to be referred by my family dentist to see an orthodontist?
No, although family dentists (over 100 of them) refer many of their patients to us.

If you have concerns about the health or appearance of your or your child's smile and would like a CONSULTATION, you may schedule an appointment now.

What foods do I have to avoid?
Fortunately, you do not have to avoid any foods with invisalign® treatment.

You will remove the invisalign® aligner before you eat. Place the aligner in the plastic container you receive from us to protect it from breakage, being discarded by the waitress or being chewed up by your pet dog or cat.

After you eat, brush and floss your teeth and replace the invisalign® aligner. If you don't have your brush and floss with you, swish and swallow the food particles remaining in your mouth and then replace your aligner.

With invisalign® treatment, you will not have to avoid any foods because there will be no fixed brackets, bands or wires to loosen, break or bend. If your teeth are sensitive from being moved, you may feel more comfortable eating soft foods at times.

How long will treatment last?
There are a number of factors that determine how long you're invisalign® treatment will take. It usually takes from 6 to 18 months but during that entire time most people will not notice you are under treatment.

Treatment is getting faster, easier and more comfortable for the patient all the time.

Invisalign® aligners are used to straighten your teeth gradually, not overnight, so a little patience is needed. Just remember, any discomfort you may feel will be brief.

Your beautiful, healthy smile, however, will last a lifetime.

Will a retainer be necessary?
Wearing a retainer after invisalign® treatment is an important step, because it keeps the teeth stable after the active orthodontic tooth movement treatment is complete. Without retainers, your teeth would return to their old "crooked ways." If you want your teeth to remain in their ideal positions for the rest of your life, it would be best to wear a retainer that long. Some retainers can be put in permanently.

The ideal retainer is made of a clear plastic removable material that fits on your teeth like a glove on your hand that can be worn at home and while you are sleeping. It would look like the invisalign® aligner but would be a harder material.

Retainers are the cheapest form of insurance around. If you lose your retainer, it is cheaper to replace it IMMEDIATELY than to do your orthodontic treatment over again. As the saying goes, "If you don't use it, you lose it." If you don't use the retainer you lose all the time, effort and money you spent on your orthodontic treatment. The corollary to this saying is, "If you lose it, you can't use it." It is in your best interest to get a new retainer IMMEDIATELY, if you lose it, so you won't have to do your orthodontic treatment again.

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