A bright smile can open new avenues in the professional and personal sphere. With regular usage, the teeth lose their natural shine, vitality, and functionality. A crossbite or misaligned teeth can cause severe cuts of the tongue or the lips. Modern dentistry has advanced enough to ensure that you can get rid of the metal wires of conventional braces. Clear aligners or Invisalign® are apt substitutes to metal braces.

What is Invisalign?

Braces are orthodontic devices that apply continuous pressure on the teeth to shift their position. Clear aligners are made from BPA-free clear plastic that slips over the teeth. Unlike metal braces, Invisalign is free from metal wires, which reduces the risk of cuts in the mouth.

A dentist in Watsonville would be the best person to guide you with Invisalign. Aligners are best suited for adults and teenagers due to their tight fit. Clear aligners are orthodontic devices that provide desired results for those who have moderately crowded teeth, minor dental spaces, and have mildly misaligned teeth. For severe overbite, crossbite, or underbite aligners cannot help.

The Invisalign Treatment Procedure

Although the treatment procedure might sound like simply placing the Invisalign on the teeth, there are several steps. One needs to wear a series of or removable clear aligners on an incremental sequence. The process is lengthy, and the results are slow yet constant. Once you visit an orthodontist, he starts with taking photographs, 3D scans, an X-ray of your oral cavity. A thorough oral examination is performed to determine if you are the right candidate to get clear aligners.

The orthodontist creates a 3D model of your oral cavity and teeth to get the custom-made Invisalign. Depending on the extent of misalignment, you might need to wear at least 6, or upward up to 48 aligners to align the teeth. Each set of Invisalign can shift your teeth up to .33 millimeters before you shift to the next set.

Do Teeth Move in the First Week?

The first week with Invisalign can be very tight. The orthodontist would guide you with removing and placing the aligners, but it might seem difficult initially. With time the aligners loosen, making it easy for you to remove them. The Invisalign is designed to exert continuous pressure on the teeth to shift their position.

Speaking with aligners can make your words lisp in the first week. A sore tongue is common as you could unconsciously keep moving the Invisalign with the tongue. Although you change the aligners almost after every two weeks, it is better to maintain good oral hygiene. Depending on the degree of misalignment, the orthodontist suggests the number of aligners. Although the teeth shift position with each set of aligners, their movement is restricted to a fraction of a millimeter during the first week. Although you would need 10 to 12 weeks before noticing a subtle difference.

How Do We Know Invisalign is Working?

Invisalign is designed to work, and you need to change the set of aligners after a prescribed timeframe as advised by the orthodontist. You can get Invisalign near you as this is a non-invasive treatment. It takes at least 3 months to notice a visible shift in the teeth’s position, but feeling the tightness of properly tracked aligner trays or experiencing Invisalign pain denotes that the aligners are working.

Periodontal ligaments connect the teeth to the jawbones and the ligament is made up of collagen. The fibers of the ligament serve as the anchor, holding the teeth with the underlying bones. The ligaments create a sling around the teeth to hold them in position. The teeth lose shape when the fibers of the ligament loosen. The Invisalign exerts gradual and constant force to align them.

You might look in the mirror and observe no change, but despite its static appearance, the Invisalign is constantly exerting force to correct the teeth’s alignment. Invisalign intensifies the natural process that is already in place to compress the dental gaps and align the teeth.

Watsonville Family Dental can be your dental clinic if you looking for Invisalign in Watsonville. You may book an appointment here and experience comprehensive dental care by experienced dentists.