What You Should Know Before Starting Your Invisalign® Treatment

Smiling is often a chore for people with naturally crooked or overlapping teeth. Thanks to Invisalign in Denver, CO, this is no longer a problem. These clear aligners have undoubtedly changed the game when it comes to straightening teeth.  

If you’re looking to have a straighter and more beautiful smile, you’re probably considering Invisalign aligners. We’ve compiled what you need to know about this treatment to help you make an informed decision.

Things You Should Know Before Getting Invisalign Aligners

Why Are Invisalign Aligners Better Than Traditional Braces?

They’re Virtually Invisible

Nobody gets a second chance to make a first impression. No matter how impressive you are with your wit or presentation skills, the first thing people notice about you is your metal-covered teeth. For better or worse, traditional metal braces usually make a distracting first impression.

Your clients, colleagues, boss, or prospective romantic partner won’t know that you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment because Invisalign aligners are virtually invisible. Since their focus will be on you and not your mouth full of metal, you won’t have to go through a period of people commenting on your braces. Their first impression of you won’t have anything to do with metal wires and brackets.

Best of all, Invisalign treatment doesn’t create a photo-op dilemma the way traditional braces do. You won’t have to go down in history with pursed lips or share a metal mouth with all the world whenever someone wants a picture.

They’re Easier to Clean

You’ll want to have the best smile possible at the end of your orthodontic treatment. Since a clean mouth is a healthy mouth, you’ll want to maintain an excellent oral hygiene routine to keep your teeth and gums in tip-top shape.

Everyone knows that traditional metal braces are a hassle to maintain. Since the braces act as a physical barrier between your toothbrush and your teeth, keeping the metal brackets and your mouth clean is often a pain. Without proper cleaning, metal braces can contribute to plaque buildup that causes decalcification on teeth. Besides having a noticeably white appearance, decalcification leads to cavity formation.

Thankfully, gone are the days when people looking to straighten their teeth had to pry food out of metal hardware. Invisalign makes oral hygiene easier because you can remove your trays before meals or when you’re ready to brush and floss your teeth. Moreover, cleaning the trays is a breeze because you’ll only need to gently brush them with toothpaste and rinse them with warm water before popping them back in.  

They’re Comfortable to Wear

Most patients who wear metal braces complain of cuts on their inside cheeks resulting from brackets rubbing against these areas. Since sores are a perennial problem for patients with traditional braces, they need to use saltwater rinses to relieve pain and orthodontic wax to cover the brackets.

Many patients who had traditional metal braces as children, teens, or adults get Invisalign aligners because their teeth shifted out of alignment over the years. Since the aligners are made with smooth plastic, they’re amazed at how they fit snugly against teeth, unlike obtrusive metal brackets. With Invisalign, you won’t have to worry about wires poking your soft tissue and brackets cutting your inside cheeks.

They Minimize the Risk of Having Orthodontic Emergencies

Most patients with metal braces deal with a loose or broken bracket or two or a poking steel tie at some point during their treatment period. Forgetting to find time in their schedule to get these brackets replaced or waiting until their next appointment to address this orthodontic emergency prolongs the overall duration of treatment.  

In contrast, patients undergoing Invisalign treatment will never experience orthodontic emergencies. Since the aligners are known for their strength, you won’t break them. Additionally, they don’t have archwires that poke out and cause ulcers and sores inside the mouth.  

They Don’t Require Dietary Restrictions

Biting into hard foods can cause metal brackets to break off of teeth. Moreover, eating chewy foods that get stuck on, in, and around the brackets and wires increases plaque buildup and your risk of tooth decay and cavities.  

Since you can remove Invisalign trays before eating, you won’t have to memorize a long list of forbidden foods. Best of all, Invisalign treatment allows you to eat whatever you want, including caramel, chewy candies, corn-on-the-cob, popcorn, and steak.  

They Require Fewer Consultations  

Patients with traditional braces need to have them adjusted and tightened every four weeks. Moreover, unplanned emergency visits on top of these regular appointments mean more time spent at the dentist’s office. Multiple visits can be inconvenient if patients have to leave school or work frequently.

Since much of the dentist’s work happens before patients wear their Invisalign aligners, visits are kept to a minimum to check progress. Fewer appointments mean less time off school or work. Patients simply change to a new set of plastic aligners at home every one or two weeks.

What Dental Issues Can Invisalign Fix?

Crowded Teeth

Teeth bunch up and overlap when there’s not enough room in the mouth to accommodate all teeth. Since patients with crowded teeth struggle to clean hard-to-reach spots in their mouths, they’re at risk for plaque buildup, tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease. Be glad to know that Invisalign can treat mild and extreme cases of crowding.  

Gap Teeth

Besides causing food to get stuck in the extra space between teeth, spacing problems can eventually lead to gum disease or TMJ-related issues that cause pain in the jaw joints. Invisalign aligners reduce the gaps to help you get ahead of these oral health concerns.

Bad Bites

Malocclusion or bite problems such as an overbite, underbite, crossbite, and open bite, occur when the upper and lower teeth don’t align when the mouth is closed. If left untreated, malocclusion can cause headaches, speech impairments, and increased chances of damage to teeth. Since Invisalign aligners gradually move teeth to their correct positions, they help fix bad bites.  

Considering Invisalign Treatment in Denver, CO?

The skilled dental professionals at Makowski Dental are trained and qualified to provide Invisalign services. We’ll gladly show you how to use your custom-made trays and even give you a sneak peek of what your seamless smile will look like. If you’re looking to straighten your teeth with Invisalign, contact us today to make an appointment!

**Invisalign®, the Invisalign logo, and iTero®, among others, are trademarks and/or service marks of Align Technology, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and may be registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.