Invisalign Clear Braces

How Invisalign Works

When you come into Michelsen Dental, the first thing we will do is take a digital scan of your smile. This scan is sent to a lab where the clear aligners are made specifically for you using SmartTrack technology.

When your aligners are finished and you come to our office, Dr. Michelsen will make sure they fit right before sending you home with your new clear braces. Your aligners will come in sets, and each set will be worn for about two weeks.

You should wear the aligners night and day, and take them out only when it’s time to eat, drink, or brush and floss. It is important to aim for 20 to 22 hours of wearing time every day. We will also have you come into our office every six to eight weeks to make sure your aligners are working properly.

Who Can Invisalign Help?

There’s good news: Invisalign has helped millions of patients around the world straighten their teeth and achieve their dream smile. So, it’s quite versatile! Here are a few of the orthodontic problems that clear aligner treatment can address:

Crowded Teeth

Crowded teeth don’t just have aesthetic drawbacks; they negatively impact the health and function of your smile. Fortunately, mild to moderate cases can often be corrected with Invisalign, which means that no metal brackets or wires are needed. Instead, we will create a custom series of clear aligners that will gently guide your teeth into proper alignment. One of the biggest perks is that the average treatment timeline is only 12-18 months, so you won’t have to wait long to get the results you want either!

Gaps Between Teeth

Unfortunately, gapped teeth also have the potential to negatively impact your oral health. After all, food particles, plaque, and other debris can easily get lodged in the open spaces, increasing your risk of tooth decay, gum disease, and the like in the process. Before that happens, we want to intervene with the necessary orthodontic care. The good news is that Invisalign is an option for many patients. So, if you are interested in straightening your teeth without the metal, take the next step: schedule a consultation at our Orange, CA dental office!

Overbite

Remember, Invisalign can improve the position of your teeth as well as the alignment of your bite. So, if you have a bite problem, like an overbite, it’s worth setting aside time to come to our office and find out if you’re a candidate for Invisalign. That way, we can intervene before problems like jaw pain, trouble chewing, and difficulty enunciating become a common occurrence.

Underbite

Underbites can certainly take a toll on your self-esteem. We’re also concerned about the impact it has on the health and function of your smile. That’s why we recommend scheduling a consultation with us, even if your case is mild. We’ll conduct a comprehensive oral exam, learn about your dental history and smile goals, and determine if Invisalign is right for you.

Crossbite

Patients with crossbites often experience chronic jaw pain, low self-esteem, and trouble chewing properly. Premature wear on certain teeth is also incredibly common, which can negatively impact the appearance of your smile and increase your risk of a serious dental injury. For all of those reasons, it’s important to explore your orthodontic treatment options, like Invisalign, sooner rather than later.

Open Bite

If there is space between your upper and lower teeth that’s preventing you from biting down evenly, there’s a good chance that you have an open bite. There’s also a good chance that Invisalign can fix it! If that’s the case, then we will create a custom series of aligners to gradually move your bite into alignment, improving the look, health, and function of your smile in the process.

The Benefits of Invisalign

Invisalign debuted over two decades ago now. All of these years later, it continues to be one of the most sought-after orthodontic treatments. If you’re interested in learning why you should choose clear aligner treatment (and why so many others have), read on!

The Aligners Are Essentially Invisible

Not only are the aligners custom-made from impressions of your teeth, but they are made from see-through materials. As a result, it will be difficult for the people around you to tell when you are and aren’t wearing your trays! The key to keeping them clear is taking really good care of them. If you adopt bad habits, like keeping them on while you drink your morning coffee, they will quickly discolor.

There Aren’t Any Dietary Restrictions

Another considerable perk is that there aren’t any dietary restrictions with Invisalign. In other words, you don’t have to give up any of your favorite foods during your teeth-straightening journey! All we ask is that you are careful with extremely crunchy foods to prevent an attachment from breaking. It’s also important to do what you can to prevent tooth decay, so don’t overindulge on added sugar.

Brushing And Flossing Are Easy

Brushing and flossing are easy with Invisalign because all you have to do is remove your aligners! In fact, patients often only need to make one adjustment to their oral hygiene regimen: cleaning their teeth after lunch. Even this won’t be a hassle though; just keep travel-sized dental care essentials with you, like a toothbrush and toothpaste. That way, you can clean your teeth easily no matter where you are.

The Trays Are Comfortable To Wear

Even if you haven’t had traditional braces, you may know that the brackets and wires aren’t the most comfortable. The good news is that Invisalign is completely metal-free, and the aligners are custom-made to fit the unique contours of your mouth. So, you won’t have to deal with soft tissue irritation!

Note: You can still use dental wax if one of your aligners is a bit sharp. You can also let us know; we can file down the edge so it doesn’t bother you anymore.

The Average Treatment Timeline Is Only 12-18 Months

If you were hesitant to commit to clear aligners because you didn’t want to wear braces for three, four, or five years, we have good news: the average treatment timeline is only 12-18 months. The key to staying on-track with your treatment plan is abiding by the guidelines, like wearing the aligners for 20-22 hours a day.

There Are Fewer Check-In Visits

To keep your teeth moving, adjustment appointments are necessary with traditional braces. Typically, these are every four weeks, which, as you can imagine, can quickly fill your calendar. Invisalign is different; the check-in visits are usually every six or eight weeks instead. Plus, they are often less than 20 minutes each time. So, you can see why busy teens and adults love Invisalign!

Living with Invisalign Aligners

If you had traditional braces in the past, then you may remember having to completely change your diet and oral hygiene regimen once your orthodontic treatment started. The good news is that Invisalign is considerably less of a hassle. Of course, there are still a few tweaks you need to make to your daily routine to be successful. With this in mind, keep reading to learn a little more about life with clear aligners!

Wearing Your Trays

Keeping your aligners on for a minimum of 20 hours a day is essential. Otherwise, your teeth won’t move in accordance with your treatment plan, causing you to fall off-track. The best thing to do is only remove them when it’s absolutely necessary, like before brushing your teeth. You might also find it helpful to use the stopwatch on your phone to keep track of your aligner-free time.

Cleaning Your Aligners

Simply put, if you don’t take good care of your aligners, they will quickly discolor and develop an unpleasant odor. The good news is that proper care and maintenance don’t require too much time and effort! To start, use clean, cool water to remove saliva and other debris from the surface when you take them off. Then, before you put them back on, use a damp, soft-bristled toothbrush and clear, mild dish soap to clean them.

Eating & Drinking

When it comes to eating and drinking with Invisalign, there’s basically one rule: you need to take your aligners out first (unless you’re drinking water). This is important because – if you don’t – stubborn stains can quickly surface, calling unwanted attention to your smile.

Tip: Eat lots of nutrient-dense foods! This will help prevent dental problems and, in the process, help you stay on-track with your treatment plan.

Losing or Damaging a Tray

Although losing or damaging a tray may seem harmless, both situations can lead to significant treatment plan delays. That’s why we recommend taking certain precautions to prevent either from happening, like putting your aligners in their designated case when you aren’t wearing them. With all of that said, if you do find yourself in either of these situations, don’t hesitate to give us a call. From there, we can determine if it’s safe to move onto the next set of aligners or if replacement trays need to be made.

Attending Routine Check-Ins

Another important component of life with Invisalign is attending progress visits. These are crucial because they allow your dentist to take new scans so they can see how your teeth are tracking. The good news is that these visits are usually every 6-8 weeks instead of every 4. Plus, if everything looks good, you’ll likely be in and out of the treatment chair in less than 30 minutes.

How Much Does Invisalign Cost?

If you’ve spent any time trying to research the cost of Invisalign, you’ll quickly realize it’s hard to find a consistent answer. That’s because every treatment plan is custom-made with the patient’s unique dental needs in mind! Don’t worry – that doesn’t mean that finding out the price is hard; all you need to do is schedule a consultation with our Orange dental team so we can conduct a thorough oral exam. Until then, you can keep reading to learn important information related to the cost, including whether or not dental insurance covers a portion of it.

Factors That Affect the Cost of Invisalign

As we touched on above, your exam is crucial because it gives us insight into the complexity of your case. Once we have detailed X-rays and we’ve examined the position of your teeth, we’ll be able to determine:

• If we need to straighten one or both arches of your teeth
• If rubber bands need to be added to your treatment plan
• How many aligners are needed

Important note: It is possible for additional costs to come up after you’ve already begun treatment. One example is if a new plan needs to be made because you fell off-track with the original one by not wearing your aligners for 20-22 hours a day.

Invisalign vs. Mail-In Aligners: Which Costs More?

When comparing the cost of Invisalign to mail-order aligner companies, you’ll quickly realize that Invisalign is more expensive. Before you let that convince you that it’s not worth it, it’s important to learn why there is a discrepancy in the price. While Invisalign requires a thorough upfront exam and is supervised by a licensed dental professional, mail-order aligners bypass the initial consultation, and patients have nowhere to turn if something goes wrong. Plus, alternatives like these don’t have support from professional organizations in the industry, like the American Dental Association.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Invisalign?

Sometimes! In cases where Invisalign is determined “medically necessary,” it’s common for dental insurance providers to cover a portion of the cost. So, if you are currently insured, it’s worth familiarizing yourself with your benefits. If you’re having trouble or you’re interested in learning if we welcome your benefits, don’t hesitate to give us a call so we can help. We have experience working with many of the nation’s leading providers, including Cigna, Ameritas, Delta, and Guardian.

Options for Making Invisalign Affordable

In addition to welcoming dental insurance, we have our very own dental savings program that grants you immediate access to benefits like significant discounts on preventive and cosmetic dentistry. We also are proud to work with CareCredit, which is a third-party financier. They offer several payment plans, making the cost of Invisalign fit into nearly every budget. Lastly, we offer periodic special offers that help reduce your out-of-pocket expenses significantly!

Invisalign FAQs

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