Invisalign
Our Invisalign treatment straightens teeth with a series of clear, removable aligners that are nearly invisible. It’s a comfortable, discreet alternative to traditional braces, making it a popular choice for both teens and adults.
Your journey begins with a consultation and a quick digital scan of your teeth. Using this scan, we map out each stage of your Invisalign plan and can show you a preview of how your smile may change. Each set of trays is then custom-made to shift your teeth gradually.
You’ll switch to a new set every one to two weeks and wear them about 20 to 22 hours a day for the best results. Regular check-ins allow us to monitor your progress and keep everything on track.
Because the aligners are removable, you can eat what you like and brush and floss normally. Our Invisalign treatment can address many cases of crowding, gaps, overbites, underbites, and crossbites. With Invisalign, there are also no metal wires or brackets to irritate your mouth, which means fewer emergency visits.
Invisalign Q & A
What are clear plastic aligners?
Teens and adults can wear clear plastic aligners, which do the same job as braces without the metal. Clear aligners are made from nearly invisible plastic, which is formed into trays that fit snugly over your teeth.
Clear plastic aligners fix crooked and crowded teeth, eliminate gaps between teeth, and repair misalignment problems like overbite and underbite.
How are clear aligners made?
The doctors at Chester Family Dentistry use specialized computer software to take a digital impression of your teeth and design a treatment plan that shows how each tooth must be adjusted to correct your dental problem. The plan and impression are sent to specialized labs that produce a series of aligners customized for your mouth and the needed adjustments to your teeth.
How do clear aligners work?
You begin wearing the first aligner in the series for two weeks, then it’s replaced with the second aligner in the series, which is also worn for two weeks. You continue to exchange one aligner for the next until you’ve worn them all.
Each aligner in your series has a slightly different form that adds new pressure to your teeth. The constant pressure, combined with progressive changes in how it’s applied, gradually shifts your teeth into their new positions.
When you’ve finished the series, your teeth are in their new positions – as long as you’ve worn the aligners at least 20 hours daily. You can remove clear aligners when you eat and to brush and floss. Otherwise, they need to stay in place all the time to achieve your results.
The length of your aligner treatment depends on the how much your teeth must be moved. You’ll see your dentist at Chester Family Dentistry for regular checkups throughout treatment to be sure your teeth are shifting their position as expected. When treatment is finished, you’ll need to wear a retainer as prescribed to maintain the results.
How do clear aligners compare to traditional braces?
The biggest difference is that aligners are clear, while traditional braces, whether metal or ceramic, are visible. Clear aligners also have several other advantages, including being:
- Smooth: clear plastic is comfortable without sharp wires or metal pieces to hurt soft tissues in your mouth
- Removable: it’s easy to maintain good oral hygiene and enjoy eating all types of foods with clear aligners
- Protective: clear aligners protect your teeth from grinding and clenching
