A Straighter Smile Without the Hassle
The advantages of Invisalign® are:
- Aligners are very hard to see
- You remove aligners to eat, so your diet is not restricted
- You can clean your teeth normally
- Comparable treatment time to traditional braces
Do you have crooked teeth that you know you should have had straightened as a youth, but didn’t? Whether you didn’t have the opportunity to get orthodontic treatment as a teen or you didn’t want to follow through on treatment because you disliked the thought of braces or the retainer, it’s never too late to get your teeth straightened. Many people are also eligible to get teeth straightening without the discomfort and visibility of braces using Invisalign®.
Is Invisalign® right for you?
Invisalign® is not for everyone, but it may be for you. The only way to know for sure is to have your teeth evaluated by Dr. Raymond Sheridan. Please contact Sheridan Dental today to learn whether you are a candidate for this advanced straightening procedure.
What Is Invisalign®?
Invisalign® is an alternative to traditional braces. Instead of using wires that are connected to your teeth and periodically tightened to move your teeth into place, Invisalign uses a series of clear plastic aligner trays to move your teeth. The trays are designed using a computer imaging system that plans a precise sequence of gradual motions from your current tooth configuration into a new, straighter one.
You will begin your Invisalign treatment by having your teeth imaged and a plan designed for moving your teeth into place. The plan is sent to an Invisalign® laboratory and your aligners are fabricated. When the aligners are ready, you will come back to our office and have the first aligner fitted into your mouth. You will probably feel some soreness at first, but this will diminish over a few days. After a couple weeks, you will come back and have your second aligner fitted.
The advantages of Invisalign® are:
- Aligners are very hard to see
- You remove aligners to eat, so your diet is not restricted
- You can clean your teeth normally
- Comparable treatment time to traditional braces
The main disadvantage of Invisalign is that it is not a good treatment for everyone. For people who need movement of the back teeth or who need correction of serious malocclusion, Invisalign is not an option.
For more information about how Invisalign® works, click here.
Invisalign Alternatives
As noted above, Invisalign® is not a good treatment for everyone. Fortunately, there are a couple of good alternatives for people who need orthodontic correction. Traditional braces, of course, remain a good treatment option for many people.
Others can benefit from instant orthodontics. Although not exactly instant, this alternative uses porcelain veneers to correct crooked front teeth so that you get teeth that are straighter and whiter in a period of weeks rather than months. Although also not for everyone, instant orthodontics has the advantage of allowing you to get an entirely new smile rather than just moving your current teeth around.
Why Sheridan Dental for Invisalign
Dr. Raymond Sheridan is one of very few dentists in the Columbus area who has been trained in the principles of neuromuscular dentistry. Neuromuscular dentistry deals with harmonizing the hard and soft tissues of the mouth so that the muscles are not working against the teeth and bones, which can lead to excess wear on teeth and a number of other TMJ symptoms throughout the body. Poorly done orthodontics, as with any dental treatment, can create or worsen neuromuscular dental problems. Because he is aware of the possibility of neuromuscular problems following orthodontic treatment, Dr. Sheridan will only recommend treatments that will help your overall oral health, whether that is Invisalign, traditional braces, instant orthodontics or another treatment altogether.