When it comes to social interactions, many people are obsessed with appearances. This reflects a prevalent view that others tend to judge a book by its cover even though we’ve been discouraged from participating in such behaviour. However, current research is circling back to the importance of how others perceive us when we meet and interact.
For example, one survey reports that almost seven in ten people associate a smile with someone more trustworthy, confident, and approachable. A slightly larger majority even admit that a smile is the first physical trait they notice when initially meeting. The ironic fact about this is that people who admit they find a smile essential to an excellent first impression with others say they “usually hate how their smile looks.” This explains why four in ten avoid fully smiling because of how they feel about their teeth.
This apparent contradiction illustrates the complicated relationship we have with our smiles. We automatically react positively to one but are afraid to show our own if we don’t like how it looks. So, you can see why the Be Well Dental team is dedicated to helping you achieve a smile you’ll love to show off. One way we help you accomplish that is by straightening your teeth through a transparent aligner system like that provided by Invisalign®.
How Clear Aligners Work
Clear teeth aligners, also called Invisible braces, generate physical movement of your teeth through a series of BPA-free clear plastic trays designed and manufactured just for you. This system replaces the metal brackets and wires behind traditional braces. So while metal braces manipulate teeth when your orthodontist tightens the wires and brackets, aligner trays gently shift crooked or crowded teeth towards their planned positions as you progress through your aligner series.
At Be Well Dentistry, we provide Invisalign clear aligners as one of the most established brands because they also are on the leading edge of what this approach may accomplish. Invisalign can address numerous misalignment conditions with help from additional attachments and augmentations.
When you receive this treatment, Invisalign lab builds multiple aligner trays. You wear each tray for two weeks before moving on to the next in the series. Each aligner creates minor adjustments that are visible as your smile changes.
The advantages of the Invisalign process include:
- Less noticeable – your aligner is transparent and nearly invisible against your teeth.
- More comfortable – the patented Invisalign blend of plastics is softer with little or no impact on your mouth’s soft tissues.
- Removeable – this allows you to eat without interference and makes brushing and flossing easier, which improves your oral hygiene during treatment
- Fewer follow-ups – Invisalign allows for follow-ups every six months instead of every few weeks because traditional braces require your orthodontist to tighten them manually.
Conditions Invisalign® Aligners Treat in Highgate Hill, QLD
Problems with tooth alignments are collectively called malocclusions, and there are many kinds. However, the aligners provided by Invisalign are effective in treating the following:
Crowding – like a big party in a small house, your mouth may be too small to accommodate all your teeth, leading to twisting, bunching and overlapping.
Overbite – this happens when your lower jaw is set back further than your upper jaw such that your lower front teeth are set behind your upper teeth.
Underbite – the opposite of an overbite, this condition aligns your lower teeth in front of your upper teeth.
Crossbite – while your upper teeth should set on the outside of your lower teeth when you close your mouth, this condition is when your uppers align to the inside of your lowers.
Open bite – this happens when your upper and lower teeth fail to touch when your mouth is closed.
Teeth gaps – as the name implies, these spacing issues describe extra space between two or more teeth, usually due to a mouth that is larger than your teeth can fill.
Traditional Braces Effectiveness vs Invisalign
Research on the comparisons between traditional braces and Invisalign is just emerging, but several studies have analyzed the data and come to a few general conclusions. So if you’ve asked the question: are traditional braces better than Invisalign, the answer is it depends. Every person has a unique bite, so your Invisalign evaluation should be performed by a professional like Dr Bao, who has years of experience and training in helping patients choose Invisalign clear aligners for a straighter smile.
One thing revealed by current research is that Invisalign’s effectiveness goes up sharply as the complexity of your malocclusions goes down. So conditions like teeth gaps and crowding are quite treatable with clear aligner therapy, and severe bite issues may respond less.
However, Invisalign has introduced numerous options to help make their system have better results. For example, the company has introduced aligner trays with mandibular advancements they call “wings”, which help manipulate jaw position, moving it forward or backward as needed.
Do Aligners Work Permanently?
Any orthodontic treatment, regardless of type, will require support for your new teeth positions once you’re no longer wearing your clear aligners or traditional braces. Dentists have long known this fact, which is why we recommend that most patients wear a retainer for several months or years after treatment. This appliance maintains your teeth in their new positions, so they don’t shift back to where they started. You can think of this as an emergency brake for your teeth.
Contact Your Invisalign Dentist in Highgate Hill, QLD
Our mission at Be Well Dental is to become your smile partner, helping you achieve the look that will make you happy. If Invisalign sounds like an attractive option, we are delighted to sit down and discuss your options and supply more data so that you can make the most informed choice. We welcome your call so that we can schedule your Invisalign appointment today.