Aligned to the digital age
Up and down the country, there are thousands of adults, teenagers and young professionals who could benefit from orthodontic alignment of their teeth. Having teeth which are severely misaligned or disjointed can have a seriously damaging impact on a person’s self-esteem, as well as their oral and overall health levels. Whilst this is the case, there continues to be resistance from many in seeking out orthodontic aid. This is largely due to patients being concerned with how wearing orthodontic braces will alter the way they look. Nowadays however, thanks to recent advancements in dental science and technology, it is now possible for a patient to realign their teeth through cosmetic, discreet methods such as invisalign , which allows them to carry out their daily lives as normal – without their orthodontic treatment impeding their appearance or their schedules.
How does Invisalign help?
Invisalign, like all forms of orthodontics, aims to push a patient’s teeth back into their correct alignment – thus closing any gaps and spaces between their teeth, and correcting any overlaps. One of the major advantages to undergoing orthodontic alignment is that treatment massively reduces the risk of the patient’s gums suffering any infections such as periodontal disease or gingivitis. The reason that the risk of infection is lowered by having straighter teeth is that the likelihood of food particles or bacteria developing in the spaces and gaps in a patient’s teeth is greatly reduced when their teeth are in their proper alignment. Conventional braces work through fusing brackets onto the front of a patient’s teeth, and using a metal wire to connect them together and apply pressure. This method is effective, although largely impacts how a patient looks. Invisalign however operates through radically different means, which does not require anything to be bonded to the patient’s teeth at all – and as such has very little impact on the way they look.
How does the system work?
The Invisalign system aligns a patient’s teeth purely through the use of a single removable dental retainer. This retainer is made from a specialised, durable yet comfortable dental plastic called SmartTrack, which uses pressure points within its structure to apply target pressure to specific teeth in the patient’s mouth. Over the course of Invisalign treatment, the retainer gradually shifts the patient’s teeth into position. Each Invisalign treatment course is an entirely different process for every patient, as the retainers are created from a digital imprint and rendering of a patient’s dental shape. Therefore, each retainer will fit over the patient’s teeth perfectly, and – as the SmartTrack plastic is transparent – the retainer is almost undetectable when worn. Treatment typically lasts around 6-12 months, although it can vary from patient to patient. One of the main advantages to this method of orthodontics over conventional braces, is that your retainer can be removed if ever you should wish. Whilst fixed braces are fused and not removable for the duration of treatment, the Invisalign method lets patients choose when they wish to carry out their treatment – such as choosing to wear the retainer when sleeping, or when they are having a photograph taken – which is a freedom that very few other forms of orthodontics can afford to patients.
