Who is a Candidate for Invisalign®?When your teeth are crooked, your smile is significantly affected. Crooked teeth can also significantly impact your oral health, leaving you more vulnerable to cavities, gum disease, tooth damage, bruxism, and TMJ disorder. Traditionally, crooked teeth have been corrected with metal braces. While effective, and still a popular treatment today, metal braces are not very aesthetically pleasing. At Dental Arts of Frederick, we provide Invisalign as an alternative to traditional braces, and we can help to determine if it is the right treatment for you. Just How Crooked are Your Teeth?Invisalign is an excellent solution for treating many common alignment issues. Depending on the severity of the issue, Invisalign can treat:
For more severe issues, or if your jaw needs to be realigned, Invisalign may not be able to provide you with the results you are looking for. Instead, traditional braces will prove more effective. In some cases, it may be possible to begin your orthodontic treatment with traditional braces and finish with Invisalign once the major issues are corrected. This helps to reduce the total amount of time you spend in metal braces. Age Plays a FactorYour age is an important factor in determining your candidacy. It is a great treatment for older teens and adults. Children are not good candidates because the jaw is still growing and developing. The teeth and jaw are constantly changing, making it difficult for us to create aligners that will keep up. Even minor changes in the jaw can greatly impact Invisalign treatment. Invisalign can sometimes be used for patients as young as 13. However, at this age, the jaw is still growing and developing. A consultation will help us to determine if your jaw is finished growing before we recommend Invisalign as a treatment. Are You Dedicated to Improving the Alignment of Your Teeth?Treatment with Invisalign requires a certain amount of commitment. With traditional braces, the brackets and wires are bonded to the surfaces of your teeth. Invisalign, on the other hand, is removable. However, it is recommended that you only remove them to eat and to brush your teeth. They should be worn for 20 to 22 hours every day. This helps to ensure that you achieve the best results in the shortest amount of time. It is important that you are not lax about putting your aligners back in after eating or brushing. In addition to keeping your aligners in your mouth for the recommended amount of time, your aligners also need to be changed every two weeks. Changing your aligners helps your teeth continue to move into proper alignment. If you neglect to change them as directed, there will be delays in your treatment. Have You Taken the Smile Assessment?Invisalign offers a free Smile Assessment on their website. This assessment will ask you for a bit of personal information as well as what issues you are looking to correct your smile. With this information, the Smile Assessment will help to determine if Invisalign is the right treatment for you. Invisalign is a great alternative to traditional braces, giving you a much more discreet method to correct the alignment of your teeth. For more information, and to find out if you are a candidate for Invisalign, contact Dental Arts of Frederick at 301-732-7277 to schedule your appointment today. |
HoursMonday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tuesday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Wednesday: 8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Friday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Providing prosthodontic and dental care in Frederick, Maryland, and the surrounding areas of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia and Washington DC. |
