Invisalign

Invisalign – How It Can Change Your Life

Ugly metal braces are traditionally associated with high school kids with a smile exhibiting a neat set of railway tracks.  However, Timberlake Dental’s adult patients require alignment of their teeth for a variety of reasons: some abandoned their braces in early life and later find their teeth begin to ‘crowd’ again; some suffer an injury and a tooth can start to lean, forcing other teeth to twist out of line; some simply do not have the cash to pay to have their teeth straightened until they reach their thirties.

– Image Courtesy of Fickr – InfoMoto

Whatever age you are and whatever the reason for choosing to straighten your teeth, opting for a sunny smile that displays a gleaming row of perfectly aligned teeth is always a better decision than settling for a mouthful of unattractive mis-shapes.

The major problem with metal braces is that they are not esthetically pleasing: they do a great job but they are very visible.  Over the years sympathetic dentists have made all kinds of innovations to ‘pretty up’ braces by using rainbow colors but without much success.  And nobody wants to look unattractive for months on end, right?

Invisalign changes all that

Invisalign trays are almost unnoticeable once they are in place – they are clear and cover the teeth discreetly.  They are far more comfortable than the metal alternative.  And they are removable, making them easy to clean.  In fact they can be cleaned using an ordinary toothbrush and toothpaste (NOT whitening toothpaste, however, as this can be abrasive).

There are some obvious advantages of choosing Invisalign, especially for adults in jobs that require they deal with the public on a daily basis.  Forget all that embarrassment as clients fix their gaze on your teeth – Invisalign straightens your teeth without drawing attention to the reconstruction going on behind your smile!

Successful alignment using Invisalign requires the tray to be worn for at least 20-22 hours out of each day and patients need to be aware that leaving the tray off and not wearing it for extended periods will result in a poor fitting when it is finally returned to the mouth.

The treatment

The treatment involves a dental impression being taken by your dentist or Timberlake staff member, which is then put through a CT Scan so that a clever 3-dimensional model may be achieved.  Computer software maps the process of alignment in stages, with a new plastic aligner tray produced to progress the teeth to the next stage.

‘Buttons’ are small attachments used to give added grip to the prosthetic: think of them as ‘anchors’ – they are not visible and are used for added strength.

During the initial process the patient will be shown a computer-produced image of the intended result – motivation at its best!

Following treatment a retainer needs to be worn for a time to guarantee straightened teeth stay that way.

Comprehensive treatment

Timberlake Dental provides teeth alignment with Invisalign as well as a number of other advanced, helpful services that you would expect from a Cerec Dentist or a Sedation Dentist.